Assemble
by Phoenixfire123
Summary: There is one thing that must be taken into account while a group partakes in a long journey. That is: learn to get along or end up killing each other. Also, thoughts of home can drive someone forward or drive the person back. Bilbo Baggins becomes aware forming bonds is not a cut-and-dry learning process, which translates to being a very long, often painstaking adventure.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** -long boring author's note that you are free to skip-

This story is the result of the fact that I watched the Hobbit repeatedly over break and came back to school with Sociology and Group Communications class on my schedule. I have always been interested in group dynamics, especially with a group that is stuck with each other for a long period of time- ones on a journey. Thus, this formed in my mind, a humble fanfiction that focuses on the relationships within the Company. When I say relationships, I do mean by only platonic terms. I have no problems reading and enjoying some of the romantic pairings formed but I never saw any of them that way. So, just expect a lot of bromance here, nothing more.

Second main point: _Assemble_ will be more movie!verse than book!verse, especially concerning character personalities. After the point where the first movie ends I will continue with my own plot and twists following along the book. This will not be drastically AU in any way; however, as mentioned above, the primary focus will be shifted to suit my means. All parts directly related to the movie and/or book will be strongly paraphrased instead of directly quoted.

Final point (I promise), I am not as comfortable as I should be with Middle Earth knowledge to the extent that I could do a whole fanfiction on it. I will consult all the novels and other sources frequently to make sure I have the facts right. If I have not, please tell me through constructive criticism and I shall correct it as soon as possible.

**Disclaimer: The Hobbit and characters are not mine. They belong to J.R.R. Tolkien.**

**Chapter One**

or _"Must be a Respectable Hobbit"_

The morning started out as an ordinary, peaceful day. There was nothing out of the ordinary suggested to happen, and that was what Bilbo Baggins liked. He had gotten up no later than he usually did and shortly after proceeded to have a particularly large breakfast. It was a big breakfast even to hobbit standards. At the moment, Bilbo could not say what made him enjoy an extra big portion for his first meal. He just felt like it, he supped, and a nice day like this heeded no other reason besides that.

After breakfast, the hobbit left through his door, pipe in hand, intent to take in the simple beauty of the pleasant day and relax away his morning. He lit his pipe and started an array of intricate smoke rings, one thing the hobbit was proud to admit to.

In front of his comfortable hobbit hole, the entertainment by smoke rings, that was when the day started to show it would not be an ordinary one. The first sign came when he coughed from smoke cloud, for a reason he was not able to identify. Bilbo looked up to see a tall individual, definitely not a hobbit, standing a few paces away. A few seconds passed before he was able to name the individual; it was Gandalf. He could remember talking to the wizard before and being quite impressed by him. When the last time was, he could not directly recall right now. The point was Bilbo did not know what he would want with him, or what he was doing here. So, until he was sure, he would feign unfamiliarity.

"Good morning," he stated with a hint of an unsure manner in his voice.

"What do you mean?" the wizard asked lightly. "Do you mean to wish me a good morning, or mean that it is a good morning whether I want it or not, or that you feel good this morning, or that it is a morning to be good on?" Gandalf smiled in turn.

Oh, so they were going to go about it like this, were they? Bilbo was still trying to figure out what the wizard was doing here, and this was not the way he wanted to go about it. "All of them at once… I suppose. May I help you?"

"That remains to be seen," Gandalf said in a mysterious- and in Bilbo's opinion, ominous- voice. A semi-dramatic pause, "I am looking for someone to share in an adventure."

Now Bilbo understood. He felt his stomach plummet. The time he was most acquainted with the old wizard was as a curious young hobbit, one who was immensely intrigued by elves and other such points of interest outside the borders of the Shire. He still had that curiosity, but it was saturated by his books and maps. Yes, he was now a grown respectable hobbit and had no need for adventures.

Bilbo stood up and waved his pipe, peeved, at the wizard. "No, no. I am not interested in any adventures. I will be surprised if you found anyone interested in adventures around here. Nasty, disturbing, uncomfortable things! Make you late for dinner! Nope, there will be no adventures here." The hobbit puffed a small smoke ring from his pipe before he turned indigently toward his door.

"I would expect a different response from Belladonna Took's son!" Instead of getting in a conversation concerning his mother and adventures Bilbo hastily opened his door, stepped inside and just as quickly closed it. Prior to doing so, he turned and waved his pipe once more.

"Good morning!"

The hobbit thought he heard Gandalf at the door, though when he checked, Bilbo could see no sign of the wizard. A relieved sigh escaped his lips. Good, maybe he could go back to having an ordinary and pleasant day.

The lovely day continued first when Bilbo took out some of his maps. Of' course, that lead to thoughts that maybe it would be _nice_ to enjoy an adventure and go outside the Shire's borders. Bilbo quickly got annoyed and a little panicked from the thought process and went to look at his books instead.

By the time Bilbo had settled down for supper, a smaller meal than his breakfast had been, the memory of Gandalf and his ploy of adventures had almost completely left his mind. Certainly, it was not something he was worrying about.

Then there came the knock on the door.

He looked up, confused, and wondered who could possibly be knocking at this time. Since when was he expecting company? Bilbo stood up and slowly walked to the door. The time seemed to stretch before he made the move to open it. The door was eventually opened and standing on the doorstep was the imposing figure of a tattooed dwarf. It was safe to say that Bilbo gaped for a moment. There was no doubt he was a dwarf- the stature and aura being what he imagined though he never personally met one. Bilbo also induced that he was quite tall for his kind, or that may be because he felt unsure and the very tiniest bit intimidated.

"Dwalin, at your service," the tall, imposing dwarf gave the slightest bow. The words snapped Bilbo back into focus. This was entirely surprising, and he was deeply confused, but the hobbit would be respectable and polite to this guest.

"Bilbo Baggins… at your service," Bilbo hurriedly adjusted his clothes, in a fidgety fashion, really. As Dwalin stepped into his home the hobbit found his voice once more. His voice box did not want to cooperate, apparently. "Do we know each other?" He only received a curt no in return. Well, that was surely helpful, and not the least bit reassuring.

He showed the tattooed dwarf to the dining area, being the respectable hobbit he was Bilbo remained silent as Dwalin dug into _his_ supper. He stood to the side and was an accommodating host and gave more food when prompted. The dwarf seemed satisfied enough- though he had a grand total of three minutes to take in and understand the expressions of dwarves- so the hobbit could not positive.

"You see, I wasn't exactly expecting company," Bilbo started slowly. He intended to figure out precisely what was going on here. Before he could get an answer and if as on cue; the hobbit heard another sound at his door.

"That will be the door," Dwalin gave him a brief look before returning to the food. Bilbo was too courteous and jumbled to supply a witty comeback to the obvious comment. Instead, he headed to answer to see his newest guest.

The door was opened for the second time and standing there was a kind looking older dwarf. "Balin, at your service," another bow was given. At least dwarves were straightforward and polite, at first at least. His eyes held wisdom and kindness but Bilbo remained in shock to have another dwarf at his steps.

"Good evening." He managed to get out, the surprise evident.

"Yes, yes it is." Balin replied, looking up at the sky. "Though, I think it might rain later." Did nobody besides hobbits take a good morning/evening statement rhetorically as a greeting and not take it literally? Nevertheless, Bilbo mutely let the second dwarf into his home.

The two dwarves greeted each other apparently they were brothers, though the poor hobbit's mind was reeling on what was going on here. He was starting to get annoyed, but he will be a decent host. That was what good, reasonable hobbits were. Bilbo took a deep breath and walked over to the pantry, which was now in the process of being raided. Again, he tried to get the some answers but his hoard of food continued to receive the majority of the attention. _'It's blue cheese!'_ Bilbo thought frustratingly as the aforementioned cheese flew past his shoulder.

He was about to try again- for explanations, to teach the hobbits' definition of manners- when, once again, someone was at his door. A sense of dread blanketed him and for the second time that day his stomach plummeted at more unforeseen company- probably another dwarf. _'Be a good, polite host. You are a respectable hobbit…'_ Bilbo thought and headed toward the door.

This time there were two dwarfs at his steps, both looked considerably younger than the two already in his house. One fair-haired and the other dark, the two had identical grins on their faces.

"Fili," the blond started, the confident smile remained firmly in place.

"Kili," the dark-haired dwarf followed with his own introduction.

"At your service," the two said simultaneously, with an equally simultaneous bow. Definitely brothers, Bilbo decided.

"You must be Mister Boggins!" Kili sounded excited and honest, but really, he had to get his name wrong.

Bilbo tried to remember that he needed to be a upright host, yet still tried to talk them out of coming into his house. Needless to say that failed and he was unceremoniously dumped with all the young dwarves' weapons.

The confusion Bilbo felt quickly turned into frustration as none of the dwarves answered any of his inquiries. All pretenses of being an accommodating host left his mind as a knock came from the door, again and hopefully for the last time. The, usually, proper hobbit ranted all the way to the door before thrusting it open. He stumbled back as an avalanche of dwarves almost fell on top of him. Safe to say, Bilbo did not want to count how many new guests he had. Something, or someone, else stole his attention anyway. Gandalf was bending down and gazing through the doorway.

"Gandalf," Bilbo's voice came out flat. Obviously, the adventure mumbling wizard was behind this. He should not have been surprised.

There was some part of Bilbo that mumbled angrily inside his head as he could not manage a swarm of dwarves. He knew he should be courteous, as appropriate; however, it was impossible as dwarf manners, or lack thereof, did not give an ounce of courtesy in return.

The hobbit was happy he had a large breakfast. He never got the chance to have a proper evening meal himself.

Concerns of eating were out of his mind as he tried to keep his pantry stocked for future eating. Plus, he attempted to not have his dining area completely rearranged with all the company currently inside. Bilbo imagined Bag-End as a well off, comfortably sized home. Now, he felt that it suddenly became cramped.

Finally, he managed to corner Gandalf and confront him about what was going on. This was his entire fault, so the wizard should be able to at least provide some much-awaited answers. The reply never came, for one of the dwarves walked over the second Bilbo started talking. "Excuse me, I'm sorry to interrupt, but what should I do with my plate?" The dwarf- Ori, if he remembered correctly- asked while giving Bilbo a questioning look. The hobbit was still annoyed at the whole situation and being interrupted, or he would have admitted the young dwarf was being quite polite.

He never got the chance to give a reply, for Fili walked over and started a reply. "Here you go, Ori, give it to me." He took the plate from the smaller dwarf and tossed it to his brother, who conveniently walked over Bilbo had no idea when.

_Oh no…_

He was distracted momentarily from the two brothers as noise came to his side from the other members still seated at the table. "Can you not do that? You'll blunt them!" The final pretense of being a respectable, willing host left him, though he admitted his voice sounded more annoying and pleading instead of demanding. He was losing complete control of his dear hobbit hole.

"Oh, did you hear that laddies, he says we'll blunt the knives." The dwarf called Bofur chimed in. Bilbo got a bad feeling about this…

The gathering of dwarves ensued to throw around more of his plates along with utensils, and sung merrily all the while. The young hobbit started to really question the mannerisms of dwarves.

To get away from the disturbing merriment, Bilbo walked away to clear his head. It was then when he heard a faint knock on the door, more apparent as he got away from the noise. No, no, no, no. He readied himself as he went to answer the door. This was the last time, or he was a dead hobbit.

When he opened the door, a cool calculating stare of striking blue eyes met him. The dwarf's aura made him seem taller than he was and Bilbo picked up more regality from him than any of the other that entered his house so far. Not only from the way he dressed, but his whole posture demanded authority, and yes, majesty. The dwarf did not offer up any introduction or words beyond his powerful stare.

Bilbo was thoroughly intimidated. The sound of music died abruptly as the dwarves noticed that the hobbit had left and the door was being answered. He looked over to the side to see Fili and Kili were the first two who came over. The hobbit looked to the newcomer and back to the two young dwarves quickly. Were they related?

Gandalf was next to come over and neither he, nor anyone else, seemed surprised by the latest member. "My dear Bilbo Baggins, may I introduce the leader of our company, Thorin Oakenshield." Well, besides arriving late, Bilbo did not doubt what screamed 'leader'- if not king- that came from Thorin. The now very overwhelmed hobbit was happy Gandalf said his name for introduction because Bilbo's voice box finally, completely, failed him.

He stepped to the side as Thorin stepped in, gave one more glance over to the hobbit before staring at Gandalf. "I thought you said this would be easy to find. If it had not been the mark on the door I would not have found this place at all." His deep voice edged with annoyance and embarrassment. Annoyance, Bilbo guessed, at Gandalf and embarrassment for becoming lost. That was not what concerned Bilbo, however. Something else that the dwarf said struck him.

"Mark? There's no mark on that door! It was painted just last week!" Bilbo huffed while he examined the door.

"There is a mark; I put it there myself." Gandalf said evenly. _'Yes, of course you did, this is your entire fault.'_

"So, this is the hobbit?" Thorin seemed to be done with his assessment of the hobbit and turned to the rest of the company, who had, by now, gathered by the doorway. "More of a grocer than a burglar," the words and tone did not suggest a good impression toward Bilbo.

And what was the comment supposed to mean?

After Thorin had settled, the company had gotten to business. Bilbo finally got some answers as he listened to the settled dwarves. Yet, his mind was completely out of it and hardly registered what was being said. What he got: a lost kingdom, dragon- dragon!- and that he was somehow appointed as burglar by Gandalf.

Bilbo, nevertheless, kept his cool until he got the contract. The piece of paper was passed from Balin to Thorin, who jammed it into Bilbo's chest.

He took a step back and looked at the contract completely. More than a piece of paper- it was huge! Bilbo was a little apprehensive as his eyes swiftly took in the contents. "Up to but not exceeding one fourteenth of total profit, if any… seems fair." The part that got his attention was the injuries that he could attain. "Lacerations… Evisceration…" He unfolded the paper, "…Incineration?" The time came to cue panic voice. He looked over at the dwarves for some relief.

"Aye, it'll melt the flesh off your bones in a blink of an eye." Bofur said matter-of-factly. Bilbo really started to dislike the dwarf's bluntness. The hobbit took deep breaths, close to hyperventilating.

"Are you alright there, laddie?" He heard Balin ask.

"Yeah," Bilbo took several deep breaths. "I feel a bit faint."

Bofur decided that was cause for more elaboration. "Think furnace with wings," he sounded so helpful when he said it too…

"I need air." Bilbo gasped out and hoped the dwarf got the hint that he did not need any more elaboration.

"Flash of light, searing pain, then poof! You're nothing more than a pile of ash." Apparently, the hint failed.

Dragon… incineration… over rambunctious and blunt dwarves… adventure… Bilbo did the only thing a respectable hobbit will do:

He fainted.

Later, he managed to have a conversation with Gandalf with the wizard doing nothing but trying to convince him to go on the adventure and sign the contract.

He decidedly chose not to interact much with the dwarves for the rest of the night. Though, he did not kick them out. They could spend the night before going on their merry, adventurous ways.

Another song, deep and powerful this time, reached his ears.

"_Far over the Misty Mountains cold…"_

He picked up Thorin's deep voice most of all. What hit him more was longing and etched pain overall.

"_To dungeons deep and caverns old…"_

No helplessness, Bilbo noticed. The dwarves carried strength and hope. Admirable, he knew, but he remained set that he will stay comfortably safe at home. He closed his eyes. That was what he decided, right?

The hobbit listened to the rest of the song, his mind clearing with the lyrics but jumbled in indecision. Bilbo shook his head to clear it before settling down to sleep. Hopefully, he could get some sleep. What a long day. It was supposed to be a normal, ordinary one, not all the craziness he received.

* * *

All the dwarves had eventually found a spot to sleep for the night. Thorin had decided to leave after first light tomorrow and the majority of those present had no clue if their potential burglar will change his mind. Instead of worrying about that the dwarves were grateful for having a place to stay before truly starting the journey tomorrow.

In one side of the room, close to the wall, Fili and Kili finished settling down in their spots for the night. Fili looked at his younger brother carefully. "How much did you drink tonight?" He asked lightly, though he knew from personal experience that Kili made a very poor drunk dwarf.

Kili shifted and closed his eyes. "Hmm… what?" he replied.

"I asked how much you drank tonight." Kili's first response to the repeated question was to laugh. That told the light-haired dwarf that his younger brother was indeed a little drunk. Fili knew that Kili had a carefree laugh that was not hard to draw up, but it usually did not come out that easily unless slightly impaired.

"No, not at all. Only two tankards of ale." The archer moved closer to his brother and Fili instictually put his arm around him in a hug. The silence drew out for a couple seconds until Kili decided to speak up again. "Do you really think I should have come?" The insecurity only came out while talking to his brother. He will never let it show openly with other members of the company, especially not Thorin.

"Yes, and I am certain Thorin will see your worth soon."

"Honest?"

"Honest. You _do_ need to grow up a bit though" Fili's reply was to kiss the brunette locks and ruffle them in brotherly affection. Kili grumbled in annoyance but his moment's concern died down.

Meanwhile, on the other end of the room…

"Are you sure have all the essentials of the trip? I am not talking about your books. I mean your mittens, scarf?" Dori asked Ori worriedly, the youngest of the trio of brothers lying between them. Nori was at Ori's other side.

"Yes, I have everything." Ori was way too used to his eldest brother's anxieties to be ruffled by them. "And if I did not pack anything I am sure you did."

"You shouldn't need to worry about him." Nori spoke up, looking over at Dori.

"This is your fault he came along anyway," was the reply he got back.

"Contrary to what you've been thinking the last decades Ori has grown up and can make his own decisions."

"I also can hear you talking about me." Ori pointed out in the middle of them. His tired mind had led him to get more easily annoyed than he would usually.

"And your slingshot is that really enough protection?" Dori had focused his attention once more on worrying over his youngest brother.

"It will be enough for defense, yes. I am not meant to be a warrior on this quest. I said I will chronicle it, and that is what I intend to do." Nori made a sound of approval at his brother's words and Dori admitted defeat on the matter, for tonight, and the three brothers went to sleep.

* * *

**A/N:** Woo, done. Let me offer a couple explanations on this chapter. First, I know the Bilbo/Gandalf conversation had certain parts cut out. By the time I noticed, I had already completed the section and thought it flowed quite nicely so I did not add the missing parts back in. Second, I played with the idea that Thorin had been knocking throughout the "Blunt the Knives" song but nobody heard him due to singing/listening/playing music. It made sense for me for Bilbo to walk away to clear his head and heard the knocking a few moments before what the movie had. I am sorry I did not expand on the songs narration or the discussions on Erebor. The chapter was mainly in Bilbo's POV and he was mostly in the background for said scenes, and I do admit I got a little lazy.

A couple things I was not happy on was I thought the tone was too sarcastic to be Bilbo's point of view, at least too sarcastic for Bilbo-at-start-of-journey point of view. Ah well. Also, I wanted to get the Fili/Kili plus Dori/Ori/Nori conversations in there but not entirely happy with the end results. Shame as it is the first part of the story that is not hugely just a big paraphrase plus some internal musings from the movie.

I promise not all my author's notes will be this lengthy, beginning or end of the chapter. I just wanted to put the framework out there, that way people know what to expect of this story. One thing to expect is a chapter by the next week, as it's pretty much written in my head. Unless, of' course, the tests I have this week kill me first.

Please review.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** I made a few minor adjustments like chapter title, line breaks, and few odds and ends for the last chapter. Now, for this chapter, it was originally the first chapter and a one-shot idea that gave the idea for the whole story. Enjoy ^^

**Chapter Tw**_**o**_

or _"The Start, Family Ties"_

"I'm hungry," Kili complained from the middle of the line.

"Why don't you ask if you can stop to hunt?" Fili pulled up next to his brother, a small smirk formed on his lips.

"No way, Uncle is set on not stopping until we get farther along. I tried to reason two times already." The young dwarf crossed his arms with a pout, almost falling off his pony. He caught his balance a second later and glared at Fili who momentarily brought his hand up in case a fall would happen. "Besides," Kili continued and grabbed back on the reigns. "I cannot use all my arrows for hunting without being able to retrieve them. That's only a way to run out before we're half way through the journey."

Bilbo watched the brothers from his place behind them. He, too, was quite hungry, but he was not about to speak up. The hobbit was used to several meals a day, after all. Up to now, Bilbo hardly had any trouble with the fewer amounts of meals and food in general. He could not speak out about the food, or lack thereof. He was a proud, not as proud as some stubborn dwarves he could name, yet the pride was still there. Bilbo was well aware that the majority of the Company did not think much of him. The statement that he was hungry will only confirm the suspicions. Especially since, he made the decision to come at the last second.

He thought back to the morning, two days ago, when he woke up and made the decision to come along.

* * *

As he got up, Bilbo looked tentatively around. There were no sign of the dwarves plus a wizard, none. There was no sign at all. The hobbit quietly checked every nook and cranny of his hobbit hole. With nobody there, Bag-End was his again and no sign was left of the unexpected, and rather crazy, party the night before.

That was until he saw the contract left on the table. Bilbo could not read the words, which he knew spelled out either his fortune or demise, but the end, where he was supposed to sign, seemed to scream from the paper. One would think several thoughts and emotions surged through him that led to the ultimate decision; however, Bilbo could not recall exactly what led him to sign the contract. For one single moment, his head and heart cleared of everything and made the decision clear.

The next step was to find his writing supplies and actually sign the thing. He seemed to fumble around now that the choice was made and weighed on his mind. Maybe he should not go? If he was second guessing himself seconds within the adventure? As quickly as he started to think that, Bilbo had signed it and the fate was done.

Bilbo then had to catch up with the dwarves and Gandalf. Would he be forsaken after he found them for not taking the offer right away? The hobbit sure hoped not- he was still making the effort to leave, better late than never. Bilbo hastily packed everything he thought he would need- his handkerchief apparently not one of them- and sprinted out the door. In his rush, the thought of locking up completely left him. Unsurprised then was what Bilbo Baggins should experience when he came back again to find the humble home taken over.

Oh, and the Company put bets on whether or not he will show up, most who had little faith in his appearance. At any rate, contemplated Bilbo, the group accepted him.

How true that statement was in reality had yet to be decided.

* * *

Bilbo let out a small puff of air from his cheeks. He wondered about if he should take out his pipe, but then again, he still was getting the hang of riding the pony. Bilbo was confident on his balance but not enough to be free of the reigns for an extended period of time. There was a reason why he said he could walk fine. His hobbit feet were durable and capable of a trek, though the majority of the dwarves were still dubious on how he can manage without boots. 'Because,' Bilbo explained the first night, 'they're uncomfortable.'

In the days ahead will he be grateful for riding, sure, just not now. He took his mind off pipes and ponies for a moment and instead looked around at the company of dwarves, plus one wizard. The group was either talking to each other or gave a determined stare to the road ahead. For the umpteenth time since the adventure began, Bilbo felt a little lonely. So far, he had made attempts to talk to each of the dwarves to gauge how they felt about him. A couple of them, mainly Bofur, Fili and Kili, warmed up easy enough with conversation. Then quite Ori, who he talked to on his array of books, also was approachable.

Most of the dwarves, however, were polite yet clear that any of them had any faith or interest in him. Bilbo would find something to prove himself- eventually- now he needed to ease up and attempt not to feel incredibly out of place with the Company.

His gaze fell to the front of the line, where Gandalf currently was riding. There was always the possibility to talk to the wizard. Then again, Thorin was beside Gandalf. One thing Bilbo did not want was to have that criticizing, penetrating look directed at him again. He already dealt with it when they made camp every night. Whatever way he was going to prove himself to this Company, he knew Thorin was the hardest to prove to, Bilbo had a gut feeling on it.

The next few hours passed rather uneventfully. A grateful noise passed through Bilbo's lips at the feel of grass and dirt beneath his feet. Thorin ensured everybody this was only going to be a quick rest before they set off again. After Bombur prepared a quick meal for lunch the departure would soon follow. Without knowledge what to do, Bilbo still wanted to feel helpful so went to offer his assistance.

"That makes me most grateful," the ginger haired dwarf replied with a smile once Bilbo had spoken. "I was impressed with the food in your pantry despite some of the foods being unfamiliar." Bombur's voice picked intensity while on the topic of food.

"Right…" Bilbo decided not to explain how annoyed he was by the pantry raid he went through. Nonetheless, Bilbo divulged that at least his food would not go bad over his journey- there was none left.

"No meat to have for this meal, hopefully some will come tonight." While the dwarf spoke, Bilbo noticed Kili's triumphant smile toward Thorin on the other side of their makeshift rest spot. Apparently, the young dark-haired dwarf convinced Thorin that he had enough time to go hunting. Kili grabbed Fili's arm before dragging his brother toward the trees.

The rotund dwarf started humming while preparing some of the herbs. Bilbo grabbed and started on a share of different plants. "Oin says a few of these have medical properties, so a little will be good to keep energy up for the rest of the day." Bombur continued while giving a quizzical look down at his hands. He was clearly okay with cooking with them, but the absence of meat had dampened any energy to the leafy plants.

Ten minutes later, everyone had some of the herbs and dried fruit. The consensus was it was not the best meal, but no one would say straight out no to food in some form. Bilbo headed back to the ponies, not wanting to be told off, for the third time, for being so slow on preparing to leave. His straightway to the steads was interrupted when he bumped into one of the dwarves.

"Hmpf," Gloin growled when he noticed who had run into him. Bilbo noticed he was putting what appeared to be a locket back in his pocket.

"May I ask what that is?" Bilbo asked quickly, but immediately took the words back. His split-second plan was to distract the outspoken dwarf from ranting out at him. All the same, now that he thought about it, the words came out brass and in the realm of being none of his business.

His first instinct seemed to be right, for a smile grew on Gloin's face and he pulled back out the chain and locket. As Bilbo looked at it, the dwarf did not let go of the chain. He stared at it and saw a female dwarf and a dwarfling with already a good amount of beard. The hobbit guessed it was his family.

That was confirmed a second later by the positively beaming dwarf. "That's my wife and son. Not the easiest decision to leave home. Gimli was deeply upset on not being able to come. He is a little older than what this shows him as, like to see his young face again. They grow up and soon he would be leaving on some adventure."

"Right, Gloin." Bilbo almost jumped out of his skin when he heard Thorin behind him. The hard blue stare was focused on his nephews, who came back from their hunting expedition with only a few small game animals for tonight. The two brothers laughed as they mounted their ponies. Thorin shook his head, "I would ready for departure, Halfling." The regal prince left without another word. Bilbo indignantly stared at his retreating back on how he was addressed while Gloin gave a brief nod and walked off.

Bilbo stood there for a second longer, after a few more moments he hurried to the ponies.

* * *

"Well, dear Bilbo, I daresay you are getting along well?" Gandalf asked in the next following days, three days to be exact. The hobbit in question sighed and offered a smile.

"It could be better," he admitted. This was true. The last few days nothing deterred the Company's path besides a little rain. Bilbo had still not broken the ice with several of the dwarves but the tension around them, concerning him, seemingly alleviated; if only slightly. It could be better, simultaneously, it could be worse. He was glad the only problem that confronted the group so far was the weather. He wanted it to stay that way, naïve as that was.

Gandalf had taken out his pipe and currently blew a few intricate, magically enhanced, smoke rings. Bilbo envied him; he only had a time shortly before turning in each night to take out his pipe.

The fact was clear that the little things of comfort, or lack thereof, troubled him. Bilbo was aware that the time of those comforts, of handkerchiefs, pipes and small pleasures, would fly from his mind. There was a dangerous road- with a dragon at the end of it! If they hardly had any trouble reaching the Mountain, unlikely, the end with Smaug would elevate the chance of risk factor by a 1000 alone. His Baggins side wanted to cling to all those enjoyments through all future trouble. Bilbo needed them to keep his sanity.

He turned to look at Gandalf once more. A look he could not name was traced upon him, and Bilbo decided he did not know what it was. The most he could decipher from the wizard, on the best of days, was there was knowledge in those eyes beyond his knowing. Annoyed, he looked away. He was still growing into his adventurous Tookish side, however he did enjoy being knowledgeable.

He quickened the pace to meet up the closest dwarf, Balin in this case. "Are you alright there laddie?"

Bilbo gave a tired smile at being asked essentially the same question Gandalf probed a few minutes before. "Yes, a little sore. I am afraid I am not used to riding a pony for this long of a period."

"It will be hard to take them through the mountains." The old dwarf contemplated. "I've trekked through lands with and without their aid and for now be grateful for the ride."

Bilbo nodded. "Agreeable," he murmured. Silence passed the over the conversation as the voices from everybody else flooded in. Dwalin called his brother over, and Bilbo smiled in goodbye. Then he was content just to be in line. The contentment of nothing crazy, thoughts of comfort and the lack of the suffocation of lessening mistrust from the dwarves soothed his nerves.

* * *

Kili cursed under his breath while glaring up the tree. He could feel Fili's level, exasperated stare on his back and refused to turn around to face his brother.

"You can leave it, you know." A scowl crossed his face and he glared at the blonde dwarf.

"I told you! I can't leave my arrows if I can help it. I'll run out." The younger of the two stomped up to the trunk and judged the height with his eyes. Kili had tried to shoot a bird down from the tree, in the end missed, and now the arrow was lodged into an upper tree branch. He jumped fruitlessly at the lowest one, a continued glare turned to at his brother. "I'm too short! Care to help?"

Fili laughed and walked over to help. His hands providing a step, he pushed Kili, who was now tall or taller than him, up closer to the branch. Finally able to grab the branch, Kili adjusted his hold with an excited yell. "Yes!" The flailing of his legs almost gave Fili a broken nose if he had not already expected something similar to go down. Brown eyes gazed down sheepishly once the energetic dwarf pulled himself fully up. The laugh ruined the guilt etched on Kili's face and decided to focus back on arrow retrieval.

The twigs brushed him irritability in the face; Kili growled and pushed them to the side. Once he got up on the lowest branch the task became easier. It only took a second for his sharp eyes to spot the stray arrow again. He jumped up and managed to grab the branch with only a moment of perilous swinging.

"Please be careful…" Fili spoke up from below him.

Kili laughed once more as he reached up to grab the arrow. "Please don't be concerned. I'm fine." Yes, he could be more careful, which would certainly help. But then again, he never learned any other way. When he jumped down to a lower branch the young dwarf lost his balance and plummeted to the ground.

The sensation of falling always was an exhilarating feeling- then there was the landing. Pain cursed through his upper back and neck, but it could be worse. He still felt all his limbs, sore as they were. Kili heard Fili call out before he hit the ground and turned to his brother. "I'm fine," he repeated, his hand moved up to massage his neck. "Ouch." He allowed some assistance to get up but glared before the golden-haired dwarf could speak up again.

"Say I told you so and I. Will. Kill. You."

Fili gave a weak chuckle, arm around his younger brother's shoulders to offer support. Kili worried him with the boundless energy and recklessness. At the same time, Fili could not see him any other way and did not want this journey to change that.

"Come on," Fili let Kili set the pace as they walked back to camp. "Hardly a week since picking up all burglar do you think Thorin will be more upset at us not coming back with anything or you getting hurt?"

The young dwarf deflated at his brother's words, noticeably so. "Don't worry about it. At least you got your arrow back."

Thorin was distressed, although the two brothers were amused when he tried to use all his anger to hide the obvious concern. That had not changed since their childhood; only the heightened concealment increased with the rest of the Company around.

Bilbo leaned against a fallen log, the newest of Bombur's stews in his hand. His hunger meter remained high, on the bright side, or maybe not, the hobbit started to adjust to his new 'adventure diet,' as it were. His eyes examined the camp and all his companions. On the far side of camp, by another log, were Ori and Dori, who seemed to be arguing over something. Bilbo strained his ears, in curiosity, and tried to listen.

"What are you trying to sketch? Random nature is not exactly relevant to what you are doing." Dori started out the argument.

"Can you please move to the side a little? It is not important but everybody keeps moving around I cannot get sketches of everyone done in the constant movement." Ori said patiently, trying to see past his eldest brother's legs. The journal sat on his lap, all supplies ready to record and sketch for the night. If only Dori would move.

"You can ask someone to stay still, or wait until they are asleep? Only curious but-" the older dwarf was cut off as Nori came over and shoved his brother three steps to the left. He gave a conspiring wink to Ori before he strolled across camp. Dori huffed once and looked at the young artist. "Just remember to put your mittens on after you're done, OK?" Ori nodded in compliance and started sketching whatever plant caught his interest.

Bilbo's attention altered to a pair of loud carefree laughs to his right. Fili and Kili propped against the same tree. He had no idea what they were laughing about, yet he felt like Fili was tried to distract his brother from his injuries. Bilbo's ears still rung from Thorin ranting at the two young dwarves, mostly Kili, when they came back. Yet, no signs of either being affected visibly showed.

A couple paces away from the two brothers were another older pair. Oin currently worked on a salve for Kili's wounds while Gloin sat behind him. Bilbo saw that Gloin took out his locket again; the gold glinted in the firelight. He made no attempt to talk to his brother, instead kept him company. Oin did not bother with his ear trumpet when he worked, so it would be hard to. He motioned Kili over, who stood up and winced. Fili said something Bilbo could not catch, but it caused Kili to give a quick scowl before walking over to the healer.

Bilbo adjusted his seating position and continued to observe the camp. By the fire, Thorin, Balin and Dwalin talked in quiet voices. Instead of the serious faces and expressions he saw them use while talking about the quest, the three seemed at ease as they talked of merrier topics. Whatever that was, Bilbo had no idea, but the sight made him ease up. If none of them were worried, there was no reason for the hobbit to be.

Someone came to sit down next to him, and Bilbo turned to see Bofur sitting there. A warm smile on his face, the dwarf patted him on the back affectionately. Despite the first impression the dwarf gave, one of being overly blunt, Bilbo quickly bonded with him. There was no patronizing gaze turned toward the hobbit, or anything else that he found uncomfortable with the company of dwarves. Bofur made a point to sit by him every time he felt lonely, which should not have surprised him at the moment.

"How're you holding up?" he started with ease. "Bombur brought up earlier that he would like to have your help cooking in the future, after you helped him a couple days ago. Says he's interested in seeing how Hobbits cook differently." Bofur took out his pipe, still smiling. "You know, he isn't one to ask on his own." He said with a frustrated glance at his brother. Bombur was walking around camp and checked to see how everyone was enjoying their food, and if there were any leftovers.

Bilbo smiled. He knew Bofur cared for his brother; it was clear watching camp that everyone was close to their family, and each other. He wondered if he would ever fit in as easily.

"I will tell him l would love to share cooking tips, then." He said with a small pause. Bofur must have noticed something in his eyes because he went on talking again.

"You remember we all showed up separately at your home? I know most of us nearly crushed you when we fell in, but we met only right down the road. I knew all the lads at least once before, but not for long extended periods of time to be enough to know how everyone works together, see? We're all still figuring it out." Bilbo relaxed at the words; however, he still felt out of the loops.

"Thank you," before he could say anything else, Bombur reached them and stared evenly at his brother and the hobbit. The large dwarf did not say anything; his stare honed in on the other dwarf, and Bilbo was suddenly witnessing a dwarf-staring contest. The tension grew, air cackling with energy as the two stared down. There was nothing malicious or bad with the feeling, which did not stop Bilbo from shifting where he was sitting. He guessed the silent conversation was over Bofur's remaining food. There was hardly any food left for Bilbo and wanted to break off the contest before he failed to take it anymore.

"You can have the rest of mine. My hunger has diminished enough." Actually, he was still hungry, though the peace tactic seemed to work. Both dwarves broke eye contact and Bombur beamed at him.

"Thank you, much appreciated." Bilbo handed over the reminder of the food.

"I would enjoy helping out with meals, if you want the assistance." The cook accepted the help gratefully with a large grin. Bilbo relaxed once more, focus turned toward camp life to distract himself from the now lack of food.

Bifur came over soon afterward and started to speak to his cousins. Bilbo could not catch any of the quick words or gestures, but Bofur nodded in consent. "First watch then. Usually it is easier to fall asleep late than to try to go back to sleep in the middle of the night." He started to hum an old dwarf song and the tune set comfort over the edge of camp.

Bilbo looked across camp to where Thorin stood. He wondered if he should ask about what time he should take for watch. Thus far, only the shortest times seemed to be given to him, if at all. There was the sinking notion that no one felt he could handle it. Currently, he overheard Kili arguing over with his uncle, but the dwarf prince held strong. Bilbo decided to worry about his concerns later.

He stretched his legs prior to fully turning in for the night. While he walked around camp, Bilbo passed by Ori, still working on his sketch. Curious, he looked over his shoulder to see a shrub with intricate branch designs being reflected by the firelight. Before Bilbo could say anything on it Dori walked back over to his youngest brother.

"Time to sleep, Ori, we need to leave again at first light and you have third watch." Ori nodded and stored his sketchbook away. The young dwarf gave a slight start when he noticed Bilbo there. In return, Bilbo offered an apology and small smile.

"I am impressed with your work. Maybe I could see what else you are working on?"

"When I'm done with separate sections I will share them." Ori turned pink at the compliment. Ah well, the response was the same as the last time Bilbo asked. He wouldn't push it.

Thorin came over to speak to Dori, and Bilbo stepped away from the pair of dwarves. "I want to see that book you mentioned earlier," he asked. He had not thought of packing any of his beloved books, and another chance to chat and examine books with the quilt-wearing dwarf would be pleasant.

Kili walked over, a glare set hard on Thorin's back. His posture relaxed as his injuries healed. "I'm going out for a late night hunt. I would keep close with no more than fifty strides away from the edge of camp, and will come back before the first watch is done." The dark-haired recited it like he said it a thousand times before, which he probably had. Bilbo also noticed how he stopped the briefest moments behind Thorin before heading to the trees. He did not think of anything of it until Thorin stepped back and, promptly, tripped on the utensils left there.

"KILI!" The whole camp burst out laughing as their leader roared after the younger dwarf. Thorin turned to glare at his older nephew but Fili had already slipped through the trees after his brother.

Bilbo chuckled against his better judgment. Maybe this would not be as bad after all. He still had to get used to this adventuring business, but at least, there were a few dwarves he could talk to.

* * *

**A/N:** In my head, Kili is highly accident prone. I know several people with the same combination of energy/eagerness/athleticism that lead to the same conclusion.

There should be some action in the next chapter. I read some passages of _The Hobbit_ this week for inspiration (but ended up getting sidetracked for a few hours), plus I am planning to see the movie again when it comes out to the cheaper theater in town. The next chapter should come out after that.

Reviews make me happy, and I am distressed no awesome readers have left any. Please do so. Free cookies! Or not, but I will make sure to respond to any feedback in the next chapter.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** I would like to start by thanking the reviews left. Guest/Anon reviews I am unable to reply to with everyone else, but I appreciate them all the same.

Off topic, but I received the _Hobbit: Chronicles Art and Design_ book. I highly recommend it, especially for anyone who wants excellent reference photos for fan art. It has given me enough muse just for this story. Also, according to that source, Gloin's locket appears to be made of silver or other such metal, not gold. But I like it gold, so it will stay gold in this story.

This may come to people's minds when they are reading so I will say it now. I kept Ori being around the same age range of Fili and Kili that the movie set up. Thus they're close.

Enjoy the chapter ^^

**Chapter Three**

or _"Training a Day Keeps the Trolls Away"_

The day started out normal, but it quickly changed directions. Not necessary a bad or unpleasant change, just one no one expected. One of the reasons was because Thorin did not want to stop. Secondly, no one knew whose idea it was. Someone dropped hints then another, and soon the whole company.

Needless to say, after only two-thirds day of travelling the progress stopped for an impromptu training session. After the decision was made, fifteen minutes passed while trying to find a decent spot. The end spot was a small space that was dotted with more shrubs than trees. The ground was a little uneven, all the same it would do. They were doing this not to look around for the perfect spot- battle grounds won't be in the perfect spot.

Everybody started to get in pairs, a couple tripling up. Meanwhile, Bilbo and Gandalf sat down on the side to watch. The hobbit got a few hard stares, yet there was nothing he could do. So far, he had nothing to arm him in this quest. Mostly everyone trusted Gandalf's skills, either as a wizard or fighter. Nobody pestered him.

Ori worked, off to the side, with his slingshot. Hands ran nervously over the surface of the first stone he grabbed. His mind went back to the first time he chose the weapon. It was only a year before the quest, prior to that he had put all his effort in the studies. Merely started out as a hobby, once the decision was made that, yes, he was coming on the quest both Dori and Nori insisted he got more practice. This was good to get some preparation, since the day they started Ori only managed to once. That had certain amount to do with focusing more on his journal, but still.

"Ori!" he turned around at the sound of his name and saw Kili a few paces away. The dark-haired dwarf had a large grin on his face and looked least at least little serious. From former experience, Ori knew that was mostly a mask.

"Yes?" The artist admitted he was a little nervous. The countless times he was dragged off with mischievous intention by the Durin brothers, way too often. What saved him was Gimli becoming old enough to take his place. Ori glanced over at Fili; who previously sparred with his brother, but most likely, Ori noted, going easy on him since Kili was still healing from his fall.

"I wanted to help you practice your aim." The archer replied with the grin on his face.

"Ok…" That did not sound that bad. Ori needed the practice and as long as Kili was not overly hyper, as usual, he may actually be a good teacher.

"Great!" Kili grabbed one of his arrows and twirled it between his fingers. "Where do you think the best place to aim will be?"

"I don't know, I think the neck would be good."

"The impact there can be a delicate, but it's hard to get a hit there. I would try with the eyes; if you can't knock them out then you can blind them." Ori gave a small nod in return. Before he could get another word in, the other dwarf continued. "Now, the tree over there has a large knot half way up, can you try to hit it?"

Slingshot in hand, Ori had to smile at his friend's eagerness. He raised his arm and placed the stone firmly in place. "You have to line up your sights first," Kili stated before the smaller dwarf got the chance.

"Why don't you do it then?" Kili turned slightly pink at the words; he didn't want to hunt down another arrow. Ori grinned knowingly and handed over his slingshot. It was OK to lose one of his stones. If he really wanted to he could always find it easily enough around the roots.

Kili took the slingshot and took aim. Ori noticed the archer pulled back a little too taut- more used to bowstrings, he supposed. A second later, the stone bounced a touch above the tree knot.

"See? That wasn't too hard."

Ori practiced a few shots with Kili trying to give a few pointers on the side. The main problem was that the other dwarf hardly was straightforward with his advice half the time. It came with the impulsiveness and the speaking before thinking bit. Luckily, Ori knew the dwarf well enough most of it was actually helpful.

"Kili!" Both dwarves looked over to Dwalin, who called out. Fili was standing next to the tattooed dwarf, somewhat edgy, nevertheless smirked at his younger brother.

"Thorin wants you to practice with your swordsmanship more." Kili shrugged, before giving a small wave to Ori.

"Ah well, we can practice when we camp tonight."

Ori bid farewell to his friend then went to hunt down all the stones they fired off in the last few minutes. While shifting through a few dead leaves, he had the odd sensation that someone was watching him. A look that failed to feel malicious but one he knew all the same. He stood up and placed the final stone back in his pouch.

On his search for stones, Nori came over to stand by him. His older brother had the same neutral yet sly expression that he grew up around. "So, Kili helped with your aim?"

"Yes."

"Do you want to use Dori as a target?" Ori balked at the suggestion, unsure on how to respond. Nori stared across the clearing were their eldest brother was sparring with Bifur and Balin.

"I can't- no- I won't do that."

"It will show him how you can handle yourself with a slingshot." Ori shook his head, weary of the suggestion. Nori just patted him on the shoulder before walking back to his practice with Bofur. "Just keep that idea in mind, then."

Bilbo watched everybody training off to the side, next to Gandalf. The wizard seemed content with what he was doing, but the hobbit felt very unqualified. He wished, for a moment, that he possessed some weapon to practice with. That thought left a second later; he was not a warrior of any means. Then the thought process came back around and it was constant cycle in his mind the whole time.

As he looked on, he decided the best thing he could do was observe. Bilbo thought he was a very observant person, and if he was able to focus maybe he could pick up a few pointers when, if, he ever got his own weapon.

The problem was, nobody knew, and so didn't bother, to be observed. Dwarves will block his line of sight of each other and they moved around as quickly and fluidly like they would on a battlefield. Good for them but poor for Bilbo. He shook his head; this plan was going badly. He figured the most he could get out of anything was the blocks. Everything else, there was too wide range of weapons, and too advanced moves to pinpoint one.

The whole company took care to be a little cautious, though not to Bilbo's standards. All weapons that could be sheathed, were, and for everything else the blunt end was used. He watched as Bifur tripped Dori then went in for a light hit on the head, which was parried. Before he attempted to get up, Dori grabbed the wooden handle and pulled the other dwarf down. The two scuffled on the ground and delivered a few more blows. Dori jumped back up, followed by a quick disarm and a large smile.

Thorin also watched the rest of the company but with more critical eye than the hobbit. He first spent time sparring with Dwalin, like old times when they were both younger. Afterward, he let his friend off with his nephews and talked to Gloin about old fighting techniques.

Thorin never fully took battle the same way, not after the losses he had to face. The adrenaline was always helpful, though. He was able to put full focus on the task, and after long years, most of it became instinct. Part of what this instinct gave him was the ability to pick out other things in battle, not just what was going around him. That was what he was doing now, full observance on his company from the eyes from a tactical general.

The general feel on this mock battlefield was good. There was no doubt he picked capable fighters, even Ori with his slingshot was taking down random inanimate objects at different ranges. There was something off, and missing, and it was not until he saw Fili and Kili, currently fighting back to back, did he cue in to what it was.

"Halt!" He definitely held a commander's voice. Thorin couldn't deny himself that. Everyone stopped and turned, almost simultaneously, to look at him. That was more what he looked for.

"We need to practice fighting as a unit. Therefore, we will divide into two teams. One person on each team will carry a gold coin. Whoever retrieves the gold coin first will win the exercise." Thorin paused to see if anyone would object. The idea was a little silly, but he had done something similar before. He needed an idea on the spot. The last thing he wanted was to be left hanging with his own ideas. He had to move along with it.

"Burglar," the hobbit came over, looking apprehensive. Thorin gave a sideways glance, "We need one more for an even number, and you have a chance to prove your skills."

"I… What about Gandalf?" Bilbo turned to the wizard, and missed the leader's annoyed look.

"He will be mediator." Really, maybe he would have more confidence if the appointed burglar had it in himself. Though, Thorin grew up in one of the proudest families in Middle Earth, so he had very high expectations.

"Dwalin, Ori, Nori, Bifur, Bombur, Fili and Gloin you take the other side of the clearing. Everyone else is with me." Everyone nodded and started to separate into the groups. Dori tried to say something to Ori, while Nori nudged his brother to the other end. The youngest seemed uneasy on whatever the second oldest said. Then Gloin cracked a joke with Oin before following the other two. Fili's expression was unreadable, on the other hand, Kili bounced on the balls of his feet with a large grin directed at his brother. Thorin walked over to Dwalin and handed the dwarf one of his gold coins. He felt an edge of competiveness that he had not felt in years.

"Take this. No one on the opposing side needs to know who carries it. Our burglar will have to figure that out himself. Likewise, you have to guess who carries ours."

Thorin strode to his team, a glance to Balin as he heard him speak up. "He won't let either of us live it down if we lose." The old prince reply was a small smirk.

"Nobody will."

"This coin will go to…" he paused to think.

"I think Bilbo should carry it; no one will think he would carry one while after the other." Kili spoke up.

"That would work," he turned to the one mentioned; who, in turn, looked down. "If he had his own weapon to speak of, which he does not." Kili needed to learn to stop and think, however he doubted that will even out with the enthusiasm anytime soon. Hopefully, his nephew will take something from this while not directly side by side with Fili.

"Oin, you can carry it. I believe you have an extra herb pouch in your coat. That should work, not too easy to get to." The healer nodded. He learned to always have his ear trumpet and hearing set while Thorin talked. There were enough frustrated and annoyed stares, otherwise.

"Good, then we all are ready." Bilbo shifted uncomfortably but said nothing. Everybody appeared excited on this prospect. He saw the challenged looks directed toward him, most fiercely from Dwalin and Fili. It indeed had been a long time since loosened up, as some would put it.

But this was serious; his team would win.

* * *

Bilbo did not mind when the company had stopped to train. It gave him time to rest and feel in the dumps for one, having no weapon, and two, if he did have one, having no idea how to use it. He was at least safe in the sidelines that way. Now, he was stuck.

He thought Thorin had joked on this competition. The whole thing was a little outlandish, especially with him now in it. Maybe Bilbo was overthinking it; nobody complained.

Currently, Bilbo stood to the side and examined the whole Company. He was surprised no one had gotten hurt, at least not yet. Though, he was a simple hobbit and had no clue on battle, or how durable dwarves were in the first place. They all had it under control. He tried to remember that he was supposed to find whoever held the gold coin on the other team. This was the chance to prove himself; honestly, this was the last way he thought it would happen.

He heard someone come up beside him and gave a short start. None of his companions came to him directly, with knowledge he had nothing to defend himself. They would bother with him once he bothered getting into the game. Still, he turned on his heel with complete uneasiness to see who stood there. It was Gandalf. Bilbo should have known.

"Aren't you supposed to be involved?" He asked. Bilbo knew the wizard wanted to laugh at him. This was not funny!

"Well… you see. I- I will be getting in the way if I bothered to, to burgle anything without knowing who it was I'm after!" He had no idea why he was so defensive. He had no idea on a lot of things, right now. Bilbo should have taken up the second offer of food this morning.

"I suggest you keep your eyes open and senses alert for clues. Have more faith in your abilities. Do you think I would choose the wrong burglar for this adventure?"

'_Yes,'_ he thought and only gave a blank nod.

Movement covered the clearing. The biggest problem anyone had was to get used to the shrubbery and focus on their opponent on the same time. Most paired up to spar with someone on the other side, a switch occurring every few minutes. The ones on Dwalin's side tried to get close enough to search different members for the coin, while everyone on Thorin's left it to Bilbo.

'I wonder how the lad is doing?' Bofur thought as he faced off with Nori. He jumped when the other dwarf tried to trip him. As the wily thief pulled up his mace back up sharply, blunt end, Bofur brought down the handle of his knife to parry the blow. "Ha, you showed me that move while we were together earlier. My memory is better than that." Good thing he blocked the blow. It would have been a painful blow between the legs, otherwise. The two were evenly matched, but before he knew it, Bofur was suddenly up against Gloin, who stayed a few feet away previously.

Another pair, more evenly matched, was Fili and Kili. Fili had both of his swords out while Kili had his sword and bow to block any attacks.

"You break my bow, and you'll pay dearly for it, brother." Kili swung his sword high, sidestepping as he tried to get his older brother toward an extra dense part of undergrowth.

"Why don't you put it away then and fight like a grown dwarf?" Fili teased back. They reflected each other's moves in precision until Fili tossed one of his sheathed blades in the air to use his freed hand to pull his brother to the ground. He caught the sword easily a second later.

"What do you say to that?" In response, Kili grabbed behind Fili's knees and pulled him down.

"That answer enough for you?"

* * *

Bilbo did what Gandalf said and tried to figure out his move. He went around in a circle, so it did not look like he was not doing anything. He was doing something, yes, he was. Bilbo just needed to think. He was terrified that his mind was whirling at a mock fight, which he was outside the boundaries of, and then what would it mean in an actual battle? No, he would not let his mind wander like that. Focus, Bilbo, he needed to focus.

It had been fifteen minutes so far, and he had to move soon. Someone from the other side will get the coin from Oin then Bilbo will have no chance to prove himself. He needed to figure out who had it on the other side.

So far, what he knew was close to nothing. Everything was much more controlled than an actual battle, but still intimidating. He chose to examine the pairs forming on each side of the team. What he found was though the majority went one-on-one with their opponent; a couple always had someone directly a few feet away. The two were Nori and Bombur; like they had someone to put something on guard. Bombur was on the far side, away from Bilbo, but he could try Nori.

That was easier said than done. Nori may have been closer, but still a few other dwarves were in the way. The process over involved ducking out of the way of a stray pebble- that ended up hitting Dori in the head. Ori swore it was an accident later, really. He had to duck out of the way of Thorin and Dwalin sharing powerful blows. The two weren't trying to hit each other, rather just to disarm. The clash of weapons made Bilbo's ears ring. The fierceness would make the hobbit fear for both if it were not for the fact he knew they trained together for years. He avoided being stepped on and slowly sustained his approach.

The dwarf next to Nori right now was Bifur, who was currently up against Balin. Bilbo thought on the spot and threw a small branch in the way. Bifur tripped, what luck. Balin went forward to Nori, who now dealt with both the older dwarf and Dori. He may actually have a shot, if his guess was right.

Bilbo may not have been invisible but his hobbit feet were light and most of the dwarves must have guessed he was hardly participating in the exercise. That was their problem. He ducked under a bush and zoned in on one of Nori's pockets. Bifur had gotten up and went in for backup, yet Bilbo remained undetected. He held his breath. He could do this to prove himself.

Just then there was a triumphant call a dozen feet away. Bombur and Fili were next to Oin, gold coin in hand. Almost the same second, Nori tripped over the same branch Bilbo had put there for Bifur. Out of the pocket, a gold coin rolled out. Bilbo snatched it up.

"Wait!" He yelled out, anything more appropriate to say left his mind. He held out the coin. He did not want to say he gotten it after the game was lost. From the expressions he received, the bulk seemed to think so.

* * *

The next couple days passed uneventfully. Bilbo thought maybe this whole adventure business would not be so bad after all. He was confident now that he could talk to the dwarves without a patronizing glare (besides Thorin, but he just didn't talk to the exiled prince). The new looks he received were better, but not the best. As these revelations went through his mind, at the same time, Bilbo remained uneasy. The land became more and more unfamiliar the further away from home he went. The true test of homesickness would come far from home when he was in way over his head.

There was one thing Bilbo noticed within the journey so far. That was, simply, Thorin and Gandalf argued a lot. He noticed that the main topic of discrepancy was elves, but other arguments came up. Though the hobbit was used to, by now, Thorin being the challenging type he was not used to it in Gandalf. The wizard must have lost his patience and Bilbo himself was never someone to get in a dispute with anybody.

Therefore, when the Company went to set up camp again nearby what appeared to be an old farmhouse, the hobbit ignored the disagreement about the camp location. Instead, he walked over to Bombur to help with meal preparation. The rotund dwarf was humming a song under his breath while he skinned a few squirrels.

"Mister Baggins! I'll start with dicing the fruit if I were you. The sweetness will help with this meat." The usual, slightly sheepish, dwarf had the air of control whenever he was cooking. It was also the easiest time to talk to him.

Bilbo started to cut up a few apples, gaze going back to the wizard and irate dwarf. "We may need to wait to see if we move camp…" He stated lightly; he had no idea.

"Thorin will win the argument." Bombur stated matter-of-factly. "If he doesn't Dwalin or one of the other dwarves will back him up, and Gandalf will drop it for now." Bilbo nodded. The stubbornness of dwarves was impossible to deal with, even for wizards, it seemed.

The fact appeared to be true when Gandalf started to storm off less than a minute later. Bilbo jumped and tried to catch up with his short legs to Gandalf's long and quick stride.

"Where are you going?"

"To spend time with the only sensible person here!"

"W-Who's that?"

"Myself! Master Baggins." Bilbo wanted to stop him. He had gotten used to being surrounded by dwarves and could strike up conversation with a few of them. Yet, he liked Gandalf around. If he felt uncomfortable, Gandalf was a safe bet to talk to. Plus, the whole place felt safer with a wizard around.

Bilbo cemented defeat and walked back over to help with the meal. 'He will be back later. It's not like anything major has happened so far! Everything will be fine.'

Thorin was also in a sour mood after the dispute and started to shout orders. One of those was to send Fili and Kili to watch the ponies, for the third night in a row.

The brothers, too, were content that this will be another boring routine. Kili collapsed back on a stump with a heavy sigh. He took the nearest thick stick he could see and started to randomly carve at it with his knife. Fili stood a few feet away and did a quick headcount of the ponies.

Silence passed for a few moments, only to be broken by the quiet neighs of the group of ponies. Fili adjusted his weight to his other foot. He glanced at Kili, whose eyes were obscured by curtains of messy brown hair. He shook his head; apparently, it was all up to him to keep an eye on the ponies.

"Hey, Kili?" The younger of the two looked up. Fili sighed, unknown how to bring what was on his mind up without making his brother defensive. "Are you alright?"

Kili shrugged, unconcerned, before looking back down at the makeshift wooden sword he worked on. "I'm fine."

"Are you lying? I know Dwalin isn't the most lenient opponent."

"No, I'm not." An annoyed sound escaped the dark-haired dwarf's lips. "It's no big deal. He's been training us for years."

"Yes, but you are still healing from before." Fili knew this was going to happen. That didn't stop him from being easily frustrated when he was concerned.

"I said I'm fine!" Kili stood up angrily and crossed his arms. "You need to learn to trust me! You said you have faith in me." His voice died off at the end. Fili could see the balled fists at Kili's side, still upset. He stayed a couple paces away. The blond dwarf knew taking a step forward would just get his defenses back up.

"I do have faith in you. You just need to learn to take care of yourself before you do anything stupid." Kili just growled and walked over to shove his brother.

"I _can_ take care of myself, thank you."

The two broke off the talk at the loud crash and the sound of retreat through the trees. The ponies also made a racket.

"Your fault," Kili spoke up before Fili could get a word in.

* * *

Bilbo was about to eat his portion of the meal when Balin came over and asked him to take Fili and Kili's portions out to them. The hobbit agreed; it should only take a minute and he did not mind keeping the two young dwarves company.

He started in the direction he knew the ponies were in. When he arrived, Bilbo saw two dumbstruck dwarves and no obvious clue at first at what made them so. It took a few moments until they noticed him and neither bothered with the food.

"We were supposed to be watching the ponies," Kili started with a nervous glance at his brother. "We started with sixteen…"

"Now there's fourteen." Fili finished. Both of the two typically confident dwarves were in shock. Bilbo would have thought it was funny except the nerves took over him.

"What happened to them?" He should not have agreed to bring the food out. This was his luck, now, great.

For a response, the two motioned toward the fallen trees and crushed undergrowth. Before he could decide the appropriate response, mainly they should go get help, Bilbo was pulled along by the arms as they grabbed his arms and went to investigate. Yep… great.

Bilbo wondered what horrible things could happen to the ponies, and what would happen to them, when Fili and Kili stopped and tugged him down behind a log. The three of them peered over the edge as a troll strolled passed, with a pony under each arm. This was one of the times Bilbo would lose his voice, yet somehow, he got a few words out.

"He's got Minty and Myrtle!" He started to think of home, and not live trolls, and safety. For the second time, he wanted to suggest going to get help but neither of the other two would have it. Bilbo was once more dragged along by the brothers, feeling a heightened sense of trouble. He could state the obvious, but his voice box failed when he wanted to suggest not jumping into this.

"We have to do something," Bilbo got out as his next words. 'Go get Thorin, get the others, let me pretend this is not happening.' The rest of his statement never got out, however.

"Quite right, Mister Boggins." That dwarf… Bilbo was going to correct Kili when Fili interrupted.

"You can do it. You're nice and quiet and it should be easy." They herded him along the crushed trail, while safely behind trees themselves.

"If you have any trouble hoot twice like a barn owl and once like a screech owl, and we'll be right here to help." Fili continued, giving the poor hobbit a small push. Bilbo took a few steps forward. He could not talk them out of this, both bowls of the dwarves' food still in his hand.

"Wait, was that…" He needed to say that he could not make any owl noises but when he turned around, the two had already disappeared from sight. Young dwarf princes… Bilbo was at a complete loss of what to do.

Behind a tree further back the trail, Kili looked over to Fili before speaking. "We should probably go back to help. I don't want to think how everything will be if we lost our burglar." They both nodded in agreement and swiftly headed back.

It only took a minute for the two of them to reach the camp. Everyone was at peace and had no inclination that anything was wrong. Kili ran to the center of the camp, not the least out of breath, "Thorin! Trolls stole the ponies and Bilbo went after them!" There was nothing said on the two practically forcing the hobbit to.

The whole company stopped and turned quizzically toward both young dwarves. Thorin narrowed his eyes, deep in thought. "Very well, we will go and see that our burglar does not get killed. That means not jumping blindly into this." He said with a glare at his youngest nephew. Kili appeared not to notice, the words or glare, for he bounced on the balls of his feet, with anxious looks back to the trees. He started to feel bad for leaving Bilbo alone back there. He glanced at Fili's knowing eyes and started at a run back to the direction of the trolls.

Fili pulled out his sword, a small worried smile on his face. Without a word from Thorin, he followed his brother. Thorin brought his hand to his face. Relatives sometimes… he shook his head prior to motioning everyone else to follow him.

Usually, Kili let his impulsive behavior and instinct to guide him, despite Thorin continually stated he had little time to develop instinct in that impulsiveness. No surprise then, when he went out to just attack the troll's leg as the three of them held Bilbo. He made sure to be what he thought was a safe distance away and brandished his sword.

"Drop him," Kili gripped the sword tightly. There was no way he was going to admit to Fili and Thorin he was a little nervous.

"What?" One of the trolls spoke to him. The desperate look on Bilbo's face gave the young dwarf some extra courage.

"I said, drop him." Of' course, he did not think they would take the words to literally mean on top of him. Before Kili or Bilbo could get back up, the rest of the dwarves came through the trees full force and ready to fight. 'Took them long enough,' the dark haired dwarf thought.

* * *

Bilbo knew this was a bad idea, he knew it. The whole adventure was a bad idea. He should have stayed home. It was not only the fighting dwarves and trolls around him that made him think that. It was that he felt quite useless, not knowing what to do. He sidestepped to the left as Dwalin attacked one of the trolls at the waist with one of his axes. Behind him, Bifur and Oin attacked one of the other trolls. Bifur stabbed at the troll's calf while Oin hit it from behind the knee simultaneously. The tall form of the troll fell to its knees and Bilbo had to run forward to avoid it.

This was when warriors had adrenaline shot through them, and Bilbo had fear. He had to do something and not become a hobbit-pancake. He stumbled between more fighting dwarves and trolls. This time it was Gloin and Thorin attacking from behind. A small stone flew past his head and hit the dwarf up the nose. Bilbo turned to look and saw Ori with his slingshot, eyes fretful but alight with concentration.

Bilbo picked the best course of action for him. That was simply to get to the far side of battle and figure out what to do from there. It worked during the training session, it would work now. Once he was safely not getting trampled, Bilbo noticed one of the trolls dropped the knife Bilbo was originally going for when he was caught. That was it! He would do what he originally came here to do- free the ponies. He picked it up with both hands and started toward the terrified ponies. He wanted to help, but if he attacked that would draw attention to him, and then he would fail to defend himself or successfully help anyone. His conscious bit at him as a troll grabbed onto Ori, but it was quickly alleviated when Thorin jumped up and freed the young dwarf.

Bilbo silently made his way toward the horses. All three of the trolls seemingly forgotten about him, as they were all busy with the attacking dwarves. Finally, Bilbo got to the rope that secured the ponies' gate and starting slicing through it. The knife was huge! He gritted his teeth and went faster; he could do this. Bilbo glanced over his shoulder to see if anyone noticed him. He could see Bofur attacking a troll at the back while Balin went at his feet. The blows from everyone were precise and experienced. Dori ducked to avoid an arm when Nori came up behind his brother and went for the eye of a downed troll with one of his knives.

He felt confident that no attention was on him. Bilbo never stopped to continue to cut the rope until it was fully cut. The gate was opened and all the ponies ran passed. Bilbo was relieved, though now it occurred to him that they had to find the scared and scattered ponies once they were done here. Oops… No time to contemplate the new revelation, Bilbo learned, for he was suddenly yanked up for the second time that night.

"Drop your arms!"

"Or we'll rip his off." Oh, that was a very pleasant and painful way to imagine death. Bilbo gulped. His eyes went to the Company, now all lined up apprehensively. Thorin had a hard glare on his face, and Bilbo had no clue who it was directed toward- him or the trolls. He certainly did not want to be in this position. A few seconds of intense silence passed before Thorin jammed his sword into the ground. The rest soon followed with Kili and Ori being the last.

Bilbo was soon suited in a sack with the rest of the Company. Well, half of them. Dwalin, Gloin, Bofur, Bifur, Ori, Nori and Dori were all on the spit the trolls had over the fire. Bilbo thought of Bag-End, his books, maps, and Gandalf for the death sentence he gave Bilbo with this adventure and not being here to witness it. He was going to die but he did not want to think of it. It will all be painful enough on its own.

Just as he was wallowing in how the end will come, with a bunch of wriggling dwarves next to him, their captors mentioned being turned to stone at sunrise if they did not eat everybody fast enough. Suddenly filled with hope, Bilbo stood up the best he could inside his sack. He could easily buy time… right?

"Wait, you're going about it all wrong." He called to get their attention. He came up with everything as he went along. "There's a way about to eating dwarves." He, quite abruptly, felt the tension and glares of over a dozen dwarves focused in on him. Hey, Bilbo was not going to suggest how to eat _him_ first.

"Well, go on. The secret is…"

"The secret is…" Thirteen hearty glares focused on his back. A hobbit did not know how to think under these conditions. However, Bilbo did have a quick wit and continued to go with what popped in his head. His mind drifted to Bombur skinning the squirrels earlier in the evening. "…to skin them first!"

"NOOO!" That would definitely be Thorin, Bilbo knew. The deep voice was iced with rage and the wriggling around him increased. A few more insults were directed his way; ones his mind did not register. Bilbo heard Dwalin say he won't forget that and felt frustration hit him. He couldn't see any of them trying to think of something.

The anger and indignation of the group of dwarves he was starting to consider as friends distracted him from the trolls debating what to do. One of the trolls picked up Bombur and was about to eat him whole. Time to think fast, Bilbo!

"No, not that one!"

"Huh?" He received a confused look that bought him a few more moments.

"He's got worms… in his… uh… tubes." Bombur was quickly disposed back on top of his companions. Bilbo started to breath properly again. The nervousness left him; yes, he could convince them nobody was safe to eat. That was smart. "In fact they all have worms! I wouldn't risk it if I were you, terrible business." Smart idea, at least, Bilbo knew it was smart.

"Parasites? Did he say we have parasites?" Oin spoke up. He did not have his ear trumpet on hand, though Bilbo felt he had made what he said quite loud and clear.

"He did. We don't have parasites! _You_ have parasites!" Dwarf princes… Bilbo couldn't take them. There was a thump and silence briefly covered the area until…

"I have parasites- I have huge parasites!" 'Oh, nice to see you changed your mind, Kili.' Bilbo thought darkly.

"I have parasites as big as my arm!" Soon, the dwarves on the spit placed in their own input. It was chaos and the trolls were all starting to become annoyed.

"Think I don't know what you're playing at?" Bilbo gulped, feeling the nerves seize his body once more.

He needed not to worry, however. "The dawn will take you all!" The hobbit let out a sigh of relief… Bilbo was positive he saw Gandalf come over earlier. He was beginning to wonder if his desperate mind was imagining things.

"Who's that?"

"Can we eat him too?" Gandalf replied by hitting his staff down hard on the rock he was standing on. Half of it broke away with a tremendous crash and sunlight streamed into the clearing. All three trolls twitched and convulsed then three stone troll statues stood in their place. Bilbo let true relief wash over him for the first time since he got held. They were all safe. The hobbit fell back in his sack with utter happiness. Books- nope! True pleasure came when someone came out of a life and death situation completely unscathed.

**A/N:** Whew, done! This is easiest longest chapter up to this point. I was going to cut it in between the training and troll section of the chapter since they are quite separate. However, the title was perfect in my mind so I kept them together. Overall, not completely happy with this chapter, but I wanted to get the chapter up. Mostly paraphrased on the troll scenes, and I think I got some of the lines right. The choreography on the battle was my own invention as I failed to remember the dwarf vs troll well enough to write it exactly.

Now, if I remember correctly, the tale of the Battle of Azanulbizar was before the "Roast Mutton" scene. I have not forgotten about it, and it did happen; I just did not write on it. I think it is an important scene, especially with the dwarves getting a new respect in Thorin. So, that scene did happen, and I will probably reference in in the future.

I have kept up with weekly updates, but that will change. Next week I have to prepare for tests/midterms before spring break. The week after, I have spring break and will try to get a couple chapters up. When I start up school again most of my writing focus will go toward my research paper and other projects. I will update when I can, weekly or biweekly, though updates won't be consistent until I get out of school in early May.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** I, for the fourth time, watched _The Hobbit_ purely (not really) for further research on this fanfiction. I did get a few things sorted out on how I want to do future chapters with the help of the movie. I know that per movie the Company was chased and got to Rivendell almost immediately after finding the troll hoard. However, I am still figuring out how exactly I want to do "A Short Rest" chapters, as I have a few plans that I want to make sure I get right.

**Chapter Four**

or _"Nature and Communication"_

Bilbo sat by the campfire the next night. He had no idea why he had not collapsed on his bedroll and fallen asleep. The prior night he had not slept at all, which meant no sleep for almost two days. So, why, had he not taken the first chance for a good night's sleep? For one thing, everybody else was still awake and, though he felt he could sleep through a storm, he had a strange suspicion trying to sleep through noise in practice will fail.

His hands needed to find something to do, so they idly tapped the hilt of his blade to his knee. The motion drew his full attention to the little sword. After the Company finished getting together after the trolls, the hoard of goods was found a little after an hour later. Bilbo had little interest in it all, but Gandalf found him before they were about to leave and rather insisted he take the blade. In the end, Bilbo relented and took up the weapon.

"_True courage is not knowing when to take a life… but when to spare one."_ Bilbo mulled over the wizard's words. Then he shook his head. He did not know how to use a sword, let alone to kill anything. The good thing was now he had something to defend himself with, at the very least. Hilt firmly in hand, he tugged on the blade and safely removed from the scabbard. He admired the Elven blade, though he would rather never have to use it. He was still naive like that, yes.

The sound of arguing took him out of his thoughts. Bilbo looked up to see Thorin, Fili and Kili in a heated argument on the other side of camp.

"It's not our fault," Kili replied in an agitated voice. Bilbo did not want to think what Thorin was blaming on them now.

"That is not the question," Bilbo could hardly hear Thorin's dangerously low reply. The worry must have shown on the hobbit's face because Balin spoke up next to him.

"I wouldn't worry about it." The old dwarf said with a brief smile. "No communication will be made with the House of Durin if they didn't argue once a day."

Bilbo glimpsed back over to the three dwarves. Fili leaned over to whisper something in his brother's ear before both gave in.

The not-self-appointed burglar would be fine with not speaking with Thorin, at all. It was something they both seemed to agree on. Bilbo was intimidated by the dwarf, and Thorin did not think he was worth the time. Therefore, Bilbo had no clue what to do when the royal dwarf came over.

Apparently, the same was true with Thorin. Icy blue eyes glared at the hobbit, really, could they do anything else? He thought he should stand up because being stared down, while sitting down was more unnerving than normal; if that was possible.

It surprised him then with the words that came out of the tall dwarf's mouth. "I must thank you, Master Baggins." Bilbo gawped. He surely looked undignified, yet the shock overcame him. However much Thorin did this, he looked stiff, like it was hard to get out. "That was smart thinking with the trolls." Without another word, Thorin walked off. Bilbo remained in shock. The way he said it, Thorin must have been put up to it, probably be Gandalf. The hobbit glanced over to the grey-cloaked wizard. He couldn't be sure, but it looks as though he had a smile beneath the beard.

* * *

The next few days passed rather quietly. There was problem about lost ponies, so now everybody walked on foot. Bilbo ignored the squirming feeling in the pit of his stomach and he noticed both Fili and Kili would distract themselves every time a seething remark on the situation came up. He knew the two received, and probably deserved, most of the blame but that didn't stop the poor hobbit feeling down with his own.

The good news was his endurance proved to exist, Bilbo lamented. His feet were durable; yet, he had little knowledge if he would be panting behind everybody the first day of trekking on foot.

Soft grass gave way to hard stone after a couple more hours of walking. Nothing punctured his feet, though Bilbo did miss the dirt and grass. None of his companions appeared to mind the change. They were dwarves, Bilbo supposed, and were used to cold mountains. Plus, everyone else had footwear. He still would never understand it.

He climbed over the boulder and almost tripped on the way down. Bilbo adjusted his landing at the last second and gave a triumphant smile.

"If that is a victory for you then I would like to see you when we reach the mountains." Gloin jumped down after him with much more practiced ease. It was not hard comparing dwarves and a hobbit. The red-beaded dwarf gave a nod before following after the others. He hardly felt like he was at the receiving end of glares from him anymore. Bilbo felt a bit at unease talking to him, like with over half of the company.

Bilbo quickly followed after. There was chance he could be panting after everyone with a day more.

* * *

Nothing disrupted the Company's path until early evening. Then they were confronted by a small gorge, with the only visible pathway being a crumbling stone bridge. The drop looked about twenty-feet. Everyone stared at it wearily, unsure what to do.

"It looks too unstable," Dori spoke up first. His gaze was directed first at Thorin and then Ori.

Thorin was quiet for a moment as he thought, and everybody gave him the silence he needed. "We either cross now or camp here tonight to find a better crossing tomorrow. I would not camp here, where chance of ambush is high and dangerous with our backs to this drop."

Silence and tension draped the area for a few moments. The last few nights there have been increasing number of Warg howls. That caused leaving before dawn and tension strung up in higher rate. It was only a matter of time before that snapped.

"This probably isn't that long. A short walk will let us find a shallower spot to cross." Bofur was the next to speak his mind on it.

"We don't have the time of day to check, and we may end up backtracking with how this appears to curve." Oin said, eyes scanning up and down the gorge.

"It isn't safe to cross!" That was Dori again. "We should wait until the night is done."

"We either cross now with the head of caution or rush across to doom if we get attacked."

"The drop doesn't look too deep." Kili walked to the edge, but his sharp eyes were trained in the darkness to try and spot another way to cross.

"I know there is a pathway leading down and up, a ten minute walk from here." The dwarves and hobbit turned to stare at Gandalf. They all thought about the words, silence once again cloaked the area. It lasted for about five breaths.

"That sounds as good as this. The walk will only be a slight detour." Nori looked in the direction the wizard had indicated.

"Now is not the time of day for a detour. We have no idea if we would waste time taking it. The path may be just as dangerous and make the whole thing pointless." Gloin pointed out sharply.

"_May_ be is the point exactly. There is a safer bet the path will be less dangerous. A stumble on a downtrodden path is easy to correct from falling. The ground breaking away and plummeting straight down is not!"

"Who knows when the wizard was last here? The path he speaks of could possibly be more deteriorated than this. We have no idea what is there! But we know what is in front of us."

The voices raised in tense unison. Bifur signed his thoughts into the bunch, quickly getting agitated. Neither Bofur nor Bombur tried to calm him down, as they were both busy trying to speak their own mind.

The only three who did not speak up were Bilbo, Thorin and Gandalf. Gandalf seemed content letting the dwarves settle it themselves; Bilbo was too tired to try and get word in; Thorin just listened intently to his company, eyes narrowed. He looked at the stone bridge then to where the supposed other path was then back to the arguing dwarves.

"Silence," The dwarf leader did not need to shout to be heard. Once most of them noticed he had spoken, they settled down. The group can let him get the words in. If the majority disagreed the words will be heard.

"We will send one out to the bridge to check the stability. One weight should not bring it down and he will be able to tell if it is safe for the rest to cross."

Murmurs went around the gathered party. The consensus was to try it out. Thorin nodded in approval before turning to Bilbo.

"Halfling, you will go."

"What? Why me?" Bilbo squeaked out. He was too antsy with the thought to rebuke with better comeback.

"You are the lightest, and Gandalf says you are light on your feet. Now is a good time to use those qualities." The way he said it made no room for questions. Bilbo gulped.

This was just his luck.

He wanted to deny it, but Bilbo knew it was no use. He wanted to do something to help and not have everybody continue arguing. They won't get anything done the way the path was going. He wanted to relax, eat and sleep for the night and knew most of the others will agree.

"Alright," Bilbo agreed, yet his throat went dry. Small steps led him over to the edge of the stone 'bridge.' Really, all it looked like was two separate overhangs that happened to be connected. Was it enough to hold his weight? He hoped so. Cracks crisscrossed all over the surface making the whole thing look edgy. The surface, however, looked flat and sturdy.

'Don't think about it Bilbo Baggins! Just go across, tell the others it's safe, and then be done for the night!' A shaky exhale and he took a few steps forward. The stone beneath his feet now felt colder than what he felt on the edge, which was silly! It was the same hard rock surface. The hobbit sensed stares on his back. Though he knew it had only been a few seconds; Bilbo identified nothing but impatience strained on his back.

A few more steps and Bilbo looked back. Kili stood by the edge with a wide smile. "If something happens I'll run out and pull you back." He was a bit of a klutz but one of the quickest on his feet. Bilbo gave a nod in return.

If Bilbo had known about that large crack, maybe everything would have happened smoothly. He could have avoided stepping on the weakest part of the bridge, a simple three-fourths away to the finish. The first half he had been careful to watch each step, but then he started to get too relaxed. It wasn't Bilbo's fault. The weak point was hidden, crack coming up from below and not the sides. From his viewpoint, it looked harmless.

His left foot put his whole weight down and was about to take another one when he heard a large crack. There was no movement from the rest of the group. Bilbo thought, maybe, for a minute, he was just becoming paranoid. The next second, the crack echoed loud and the stone crumbled beneath him. A sound that sounded like a cross of a soft wail and squeak escaped his lips. He had time to run, move, do something… right?

The rest of his support crumbled away and the hobbit plummeted.

"Bilbo!" Only a split second passed from when Bilbo was safe and then fell. Kili ran out to try and grab their companion and almost stumbled after him. Fili grabbed his brother's collar and pulled him back before the rest fell away.

"It's OK. It's not your fault," The dark haired dwarf looked downcast, ignoring the words spoken.

The rest of the dwarves, and Gandalf, came to the edge and looked down, different levels of worry on their faces.

"Bilbo!" Bofur called out as he tried to spot the hobbit in the growing darkness.

No noise answered for a few seconds. The group started to fear the worst. Next over half of the Company yelled out to get a response.

"I'm alright!" The sound came up muffled. Relief washed over everybody. "I landed on something soft."

"Stay safe, Master Baggins! We will be down in an hour." Balin called out. All the dwarves and wizard turned to discuss. It only took a few moments until they decided to walk down to the path so they can get down to Bilbo.

* * *

The 'something soft' happened to be a pillow of natural moss, which fully festered when a river used to run through the gorge. Bilbo was completely dazed once he landed and did not want to move to see how bruised he was. He could easily lay there until the others came down. Sleep was something he wanted. At the present, he could.

Bilbo knew better than that. He was not in his comfortable, safe, bed at Bag-End. He was at the bottom of a gorge- bruised and winded.

Slowly, he tested his fingers, and when no pain surged through his body Bilbo tried his arms. A few prickles of pain went up and down his limbs but it was still tolerable. The next thing was to bring his knees up. Bilbo winced, lower back seared in protest. That was where he landed, so it made sense that would hurt the most. Alright is what he told the others when they screamed down at him. Simply alive was the more appropriate word.

Bilbo would much rather have several minutes to get his bearings. That was not to be the case tonight though. Sound of approaching steps, _clump_, _clump_, echoed toward him, in the opposite direction he was expecting his friends to come in. Body ached in protest as he forced himself to his knees. A pair of eyes glowed in the darkness. The good news, thought Bilbo, was that it didn't look that high up, probably some animal.

His hand went to find his sword; a subtle shock stung his wrist as skin hit the rock. Finally, he found the hilt and pulled the blade out. Bilbo was clueless on how to use the blade. He hoped he did not have to use it. He really hoped he did not need to use it.

The eyes moved and showed the animal moving. Closer, which scared him, nonetheless, at least he wasn't being charged. Moments later a boar stepped into his line of vision. It was huge with thick dark fur and curling tusks.

Bilbo gulped, his hands quickly becoming sweaty. He wiped his hands repeatedly on the hilt, though kept the sword still as possible. He did not want to provoke the animal. The boar must have sensed his fear though and stepped forward.

'Come on, you're going to run into a lot worse than this by the time the trip's done. You dealt with trolls. Do not freak out.' The voice bounced off his skull, the inner thought sounded like Gandalf. A deep inhale and exhale and he gave the sword a testing swing. The next thing he knew; he was being charged at.

Another swing and Bilbo managed to hit its tusk and throw the creature off course. However, the unskilled move made him stumble to the side, the Elvish blade falling to the ground. Pain shot up his spine, and he called out. Fear temporarily made him forget he had just taken a serious fall.

'Everyone needs to hurry up,' he thought worriedly.

* * *

"Where is it, Gandalf?" The question came from Bofur, though the others were muttering to themselves as they tried to locate the path. The group of dwarves had followed Gandalf for several minutes.

In reply, the wizard waved his staff and pushed a few strangled bushes to the side. "It is right here, it slopes to the left the first half and then there is a small jump that needs to be made as it breaks away. The slope is steeper after that, but it should not pose a problem."

"The route is too narrow to go in pairs. Beyond that, let's go." Thorin spoke up and took the lead. Everyone else trailed quietly behind.

It would usually be an easy path for the dwarves, used to various mountain terrains. This specific trek, with little light to go on, proved to be difficult. It was not so much of a path rather than a narrow straight line on a share drop. A five minute walk rapidly turned to fifteen.

"Watch it!" Dwalin snapped behind him.

"Sorry," Bombur replied.

"Hey, he's having a hard time." Bofur replied in defense of his brother. The worry over the lost hobbit and little sleep made his reply snappier. Bifur made a rude gesture, which was probably good the tattooed dwarf failed to see.

Kili quickened his pace once a gap up opened up to Oin in front of him. With failure to watch his feet, he tripped over a few loose rocks. A hand grabbed his coat and he heard Fili speak behind him.

"If I have to do this one more time I'll push you over."

"Wouldn't that ruin the purpose, brother?" The younger dwarf gave a nervous laugh and shrugged the blonde dwarf's hand away.

"I don't know. Maybe you will finally learn to be careful," came the reply.

Thorin examined the gap when he came up to it. Carefully, he picked up the rock and threw. A soft clunk reverberated at the impact and some of the ground fell away.

"Make the jump long to make sure you land on firm ground," he addressed everyone behind him. The good news was the path was slightly wider, so he could step to the side to let the others go first.

Balin gave him a brief look before making the jump easily. Next was Dori and Nori, both who made it successfully. They turned around to help Ori and received a glare.

"I need room to jump, thank you!" His body was tense and he stalled until both his brothers relented. Nori did first and gave a brief shrug before poking the eldest, until Dori backed up to give the small dwarf enough room.

Afterward were Gloin and Oin, who both made it relatively easily. Fili insisted to go ahead of Kili, who only huffed in annoyance. Thorin watched both his nephews wearily and let out a small breath once Kili found his footing.

"Those across start going ahead. We can't have it get too crowded, we need to hurry up and get our burglar." Thorin motioned for Balin to take the lead of that group.

Dwalin met his eyes with Thorin before going over. "Do you think he is doing OK?" 'He' referred to Bilbo. The dwarf prince waved his hand dismissively.

"I don't think there is anything dangerous down here. Plus, we haven't heard any audible screams coming from that direction yet."

Fili and Kili made the decision to stall behind to help anyone who came over. The brothers grabbed Bombur's arms as the ground started to give after his jump and heaved the large dwarf to safety. Bofur and Bifur made it easily afterward, Bofur saying a few encouraging words to his brother and Bifur patted him reassuringly on the back.

Thorin crossed his arms and stared evenly at the two young dwarves. "Go ahead, I'll make it fine."

Kili opened his mouth like he was about to protest, but Thorin turned the look into a glare. The brothers shared a look, 'It's not worth it.' They both decided silently.

Thorin smiled. One of the only times he did was when the annoying dwarflings actually listened to him. He glanced at Gandalf, who waited for him to go first.

The second half took half the time, but with more stumbles along the steeper path. A few angry words went out to the night, directed at no one specifically. Boots touched down on the solid ground at the bottom of the gorge, relief flowed through the group. There was still a hobbit to find.

* * *

Darkness completely covered the gorge now. Bilbo could see that light still peaked from above, but the shimmers of the dying sun failed to breach the depths. His eyes adjusted and he saw the boar get up in the night shroud.

He dropped the sword, again, and waved his arm about to attempt to find it. His sore body protested but he needed to do this. He would not be ruined like this! Bilbo always thought, and wanted, to live a long and peaceful life. Why did he make the decision to come along?

A snort came from his side. Bilbo was paranoid; he thought it was down his neck. He rolled in the opposite direction, jarring his elbow in the process. That was not his dominant arm, so he forced himself to ignore it. His hip hit against the hilt of his blade, and he grabbed it with his injured arm. Prior to being able to switch it to his dominant hand, something rammed hard into his side.

At least, Bilbo lamented, it was a blunt snout and not pointy tusks. A groan escaped him after a short gasp. Seconds passed and Bilbo thought the animal was about to charge again. The grip on the sword tightened, yet hands were still sweaty. Bilbo desperately tried to remember the techniques he picked up on while he watched everybody train. Nothing came to him. When a faint sound of a charging animal came back to him, he relied purely on instinct. He rolled toward the sound, swinging the blade with the momentum. A sickening thud reached his hand, another followed when the sound of a body hit the ground.

Bilbo stumbled to his feet, and regarded at the blade. Eyes started to adjust to the dark and a spot of dark told him blood was clearly on the blade. In the darkness, a body laid on the ground. As he blinked to try and see well, he detected a wound on the boar's neck. He nearly decapitated it. Bilbo let out a shaky breath. He had not meant to kill it. What he meant to do was draw it off, but now that it was dead it might as well become the meal for the night.

His knees shook and arms throbbed painfully. The hobbit let his body fall back to the hard ground, a grunt escaped him. Bilbo needed to recuperate his strength. He wanted to fade away, fall asleep, but he needed to stay alert. The cloak of night now surrounded the whole area. If he dazed off, the Company may pass him over. He closed his eyes and counted to ten. He hoped they got here soon.

It seemed like forever and a day, minus the sun coming up, when he heard the calls of his name and a dozen pairs of footsteps coming closer.

"I'm here," he said in the strongest voice possible. His throat felt dry and scratchy. Bilbo pushed up to a sitting position, a shot of pain going up his arm.

The group started out as a deformed shadow. If he had not already recognized their voices and was not too tired, he would have been terrified.

"Mister Baggins killed a boar!" Bilbo failed to pinpoint which of the group said it. A few amazed mutters followed the words.

They decided to make camp at the bottom of the gorge for the night. The towering walls above them contributed to a trapped feeling. It was the safest though, as long as nothing else came down and noticed them.

Bombur went on happily on how he could use the meat for the night, thoroughly cheered up by it, and slowly, the normal routine took hold. Thorin agreed the fire could remain on to cook the food, and set up camp, but it would go off for the night. A howl cut through the air, and nobody argued with him.

Bilbo settled down, shifting to get in a comfortable position. Oin applied his medicine to the most serious of his bruises but did not have enough for all of them. The healer muttered about having to find more of the herbs tomorrow.

The boar tasted alright, though Bilbo felt awkward eating something he physically killed. He was a gardener, not a hunter. The fuller meal, after a long day, refreshed everybody and the mood went back up slightly. The air was still tense, yet comfortable conversation cut through the atmosphere. It will be a good night.

"I say, Gandalf, why did you not insist the path you suggested was the better plan in the beginning?" A disgruntled Bilbo asked. He did not enjoy the evening and the roughhousing his fall and mini-battle received.

A low laugh escaped the wizard as he lit his pipe. "Because," he started, "everyone here needs to learn how to communicate and make decisions as a group." A few smoke rings were illuminated by the dying flames. "Besides, I doubt a bunch of stubborn, arguing dwarves will take too much head on my suggestion."

Bilbo sighed and took a sip of the broth remaining in his bowl. "Well, I guess that can't be helped then."

* * *

**A/N:** Throughout this fanfic I will tweak around with the environment and timeline of the quest. Also, I will still attempt to stay mostly true to what the book and maps I get a hold say.

Next chapter should hopefully be up by Friday. Please review! The reviews will help encourage me to get chapters up as quickly as possible, especially when my schedule starts to become cramped.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** I am so sorry this is a week later than what I first said. I feel horrible about it. There was nothing I could do about it. Spring Break was busier from what I expected, and I was hammered with work once I got back to school.

**Chapter Five**

or _"Flight… run!"_

Bilbo woke up very stiff the next morning, yet his bruises felt better. It would be several days at least until he felt fully better. He let Oin check over him and was given the healer's approval. The dwarf was apologetic on not having any made ointment left. Bilbo would have felt bad if it was used up on him anyway. Really, he felt fine.

'Fine' still translated to being slow and relatively unhelpful in packing up camp. Most dealt with their own bearings, and the hobbit hardly took any of his out the night before. Everybody was weary, drawn out, all prepared though to move on once more. They walked in the direction the dwarves came in the night before. Gandalf said there was a path of the same style of the one they used before on the other side. Thus, the problem of crossing the gorge would be over. It took a fifteen minute trek on its own and stiff pain slowly transferred to throbbing gently.

Not that he would complain. Bilbo usually kept to the middle or back of the company anyway. No one would notice if he went a little slower than he usually did.

As he spotted the pathway, he groaned. Bofur heard and looked over his shoulder with the optimistic grin. "It shouldn't be bad. Easy, it is. And it won't be any worse than your way down." The bruised hobbit managed a smile while rubbing his back.

"Yes, I would hope so."

The route up was slow, and Thorin looked a little antsy. Bilbo always thought so far the dwarf was brooding in some fashion. That usually did not transfer to letting the nerves show however. If the dwarf was not so intimidating, he would ask what was wrong and cheer him up. As it was, he only felt comfortable with cheer up tactics with a couple of dwarves, if at all.

He stumbled, and the dwarf behind him steadied his feet. Bilbo looked behind him, spotting Nori and gave a thankful smile. The dwarf shrugged; he was used to helping Ori discreetly and not making such a fuss about it like Dori did. It usually turned out good.

Bilbo felt heavily relieved when they all made it to the top. Stone remained beneath his feet; however, the sparse wood was no more than a hundred paces away. He was soon happy to have soil and grass underfoot.

The Company continued with a steady pace. Bilbo wanted to focus on something besides the subtle pain in his elbow, legs and lower back. He could be a quite irritable hobbit when it came down to it and Bilbo did not know how his words will go across with the others.

They walked for about fifteen more minutes when he felt someone come up to step beside him. The hobbit looked to the side to see Kili, who had his usual smile but a flicker of nervousness showed in his eyes. It disappeared a second later as the young dwarf started talking.

"So, I had got this huge boar once…" Apparently, the archer wanted to share hunting stories now that Bilbo killed his own boar. Before the dark-haired dwarf could continue Fili walked up behind his brother and gave him the smallest shove. The younger turned to glare at the blonde dwarf in indignation.

"You aren't going about that whole story again? You know it's a lie. I had to save you from being trampled by the thing. You were too terrified to ready any of your arrows."

"I was _not_ terrified." Kili glared back. He put his attention back on Bilbo, who, for his part, felt the brothers' antics with a light heart. And maybe sometimes it was with some annoyance, but not now. "You shouldn't take his word on it. Fili likes to make himself as the hero. What happened was…"

Fili snorted and rolled his eyes but refrained from replying. Instead, he swiftly put the other dwarf in a headlock and messed with his hair affectingly. "Honestly, you can stop acting like you were a grown up hero because you weren't grown up. Not then, and I still wonder sometimes." Fili laughed when Kili fruitlessly tried to escape his brother- and failed miserably.

"Fili! Kili!" Both looked up at Thorin's call and glare. Fili's face turned serious, yet he still kept a firm grip on his younger brother. Finally, he sighed and let go and messed with Kili's hair once more before he moved to catch up with the Company.

Kili turned back to Bilbo after a glare went on the retreating back. Nervousness returned to the young dwarf and he kicked some loose sticks. Bilbo could not guess what was on his mind. It had to be something more than childhood stories that brought the change to the cheery dwarf.

Eventually, Kili blurted out, "I'm sorry!" Bilbo gave a confused look, not sure what he could be apologizing for. He thought it a little late, and no big deal, of when his companion thought it was a good idea to braid twigs in his hair the first night out of Bag-End.

"I said, yesterday, I mean, that I would grab you before you fell. The injury could have been a lot worse."

Bilbo tried to ignore the stiffness in his back, so his words would come out as sincere as possible. "It's fine, really. It happened too fast for anybody to do something about it." Kili looked like a weary and tired puppy that got caught in trouble for a brief moment prior to his face lighting up back to a cheerful grin.

"Thanks." Before Bilbo could think of a return comment the dwarf ran off to catch up with his brother. Bilbo wondered how Kili could remain that full of energy. He could hardly recall the dwarf prince slowing down after his own short fall, or when being sacked up by trolls, for that matter.

* * *

The next couple days passed sluggishly, though that was not what dragged down the whole Company. Tensions were high, and conversation seemed to cease. Only soft words and small talk were spoken. It felt like they were being followed, or watched, so everyone put energy in moving forward quickly and not speaking.

Fact remained, Bilbo believed these days were going slow. Get up, move, and not do anything else. This, actually, was what he first thought the journey will be. That was how it was the first few days for him: no socializing and just going through forward movements. Currently, it felt worse because at least at the beginning everyone talked to each other if not him. The silence made it felt like every minute lasted an hour no matter how much land they covered.

Both Fili and Kili tried to keep the spirits up, but after Thorin caught them doing, well, Bilbo wasn't sure what, yet the two remained subdued after that. Bilbo thought he was being a little harsh toward the two young dwarves. He knew neither of them will give in to Thorin alone, therefor the atmosphere must have gotten to them.

Bilbo fell in step next to Gandalf. As well as he could, at least, every two of his strides equaled about one for the wizard. He was usually a safe bet to talk to when none of the dwarves will. Taken out of thought, Gandalf looked toward Bilbo. Suddenly a lack of anything to say, the hobbit cleared his throat awkwardly. "A nice day, isn't it?" Did his voice come up slightly sarcastic? Yep, but Bilbo was tired and stiff. Oin almost completely was out of his medical herbs and the healer had no time to look for anymore.

Gandalf smiled. "Yes… it is." There were definitely gears turning under that pointed hat. Bilbo knew how to recognize that look. What he could never guess was what exactly was on his mind. He could easily try to probe; however, he knew it was useless.

"You look tired, Bilbo. A short rest will be nice." The shorter of the companions looked to the front of the line, a crease formed between his eyebrows.

"You will have to convince Thorin of that."

Gandalf smiled, like he thought something was funny. "Yes, that is exactly the problem, isn't it?"

Bilbo decided not to think what the cryptic side of that message was. If he was less exhausted he would have attempted to.

He found himself next to Bofur and Nori next. Bofur smiled at him warmly and Nori gave him a polite nod. Bilbo gave a small greeting in return.

"How long do you think will be going?" he asked lightly. His feet demanded that be the question that came out of his mouth.

"The sun will be going down soon. I think once we find a safe spot to camp. We may push a little to find it." Bofur replied with a wave to their surroundings. "I think we are close to getting out of the trees, probably before we break through will we stop."

"Going through night can be a good thing, though there are more things out at night." Nori added.

Bilbo nodded. He hoped to get some rest soon. The small spiteful part of him blamed Gandalf for making him think of rest. He had to keep up! The mood was down, tense beneath the surface, yet all the dwarves- plus wizard- kept their endurance up. Bilbo just started to get some equal respect around here. With the gears turned up, he wanted to keep it.

"I think we can make it out of the trees. My stomach and feet will be thankful for when we stop for the night." Yeah, Bilbo had to work on that. Did he not just make the decision to prove his endurance?

Bofur's smile grew, and he laughed. "If you want to talk hunger pangs I will talk to Bombur. I only have to say keep your attitudes up and try not to remind each other too much on food."

Bilbo scanned a few dwarves behind to where Bombur was. He was by himself and the way he hummed, Bilbo guessed he thought what he was going to make tonight. The hobbit learned that was what the large dwarf did when he was down. Bombur probably decided on something, for he went up to Bifur and recited his ideas. Bilbo smiled.

"Whatever it is, it is probably good."

* * *

The Company finally settled for the night. Bilbo, gratefully, sat down on a log. He kicked out his legs and wiggled his feet with a sigh of content. He knew he should probably help with setting up the camp. While he looked around, nobody seemed to want to do any work on the camp spot. Most were talking quietly and wondering when they will move tomorrow. That tired Bilbo; he wanted to focus on sleep.

He tucked his knees to his chest. His eyes continued to travel around the camp. He saw Thorin, who appeared like he wanted to shout at everyone to get productive through his glare alone. The dwarf prince tilted his head and spoke to Dwalin. Both dwarves appeared tense but after a few words they both relaxed slightly.

They hardly settled in when a sound of someone approaching through the trees became imminent. Everyone jumped up immediately. Bilbo gulped and grabbed his small sword. A quick peak at it showed no glow from the blade. That was good. He took a deep breath and prepared to draw it out in case. The last few days he had attempted to convince himself to ask for training. He started to think he should have gone with the initiative.

The sound came closer and Bilbo could not identify what it was. Which was no surprise, he chastised himself. He knew a fair deal of plants and other knowledge, yet his knowledge on what creatures attacked and what noise they made when attacking was so far low. Another foolish hope to keep that knowledge rather limited.

A few more drawn out moments passed when a wild man cloaked in brown appeared at the head of a sled of… rabbits?

"Radagast, Radagast the Brown." Bilbo looked at Gandalf as he greeted the newcomer warmly. This was the other wizard Gandalf had mentioned? The group started to calm down at seeing it being a friend of Gandalf's, though eyed the new wizard quizzically. The two went off to the side to talk and Bilbo started to feel relaxed.

"Heh, well that was a lot less worrisome than I expected." Bilbo tried to say cheerfully. The words came out a little strained. His mind took longer to relax and thus his body quickly became tense again. He tapped the hilt of his sword lightly to ease his nerves.

A couple others chuckled at his words. It was a little silly to get worked up- yet no one fully calmed down yet.

A howl cut through the air, and weapons were drawn once more. Bilbo looked around nervously. "Was that a wolf? Are there wolves out here?"

"A wolf? No, that was not a wolf…" Bofur stood at the ready nearby, his gaze directed at him for a moment at his reply.

Of' course, Bilbo should have remembered it was not a simple wolf since the first time he asked since the howls had been following them.

A warg leaped down not a second later and Bilbo almost dropped his blade. He quickly ducked- one defense tactic his was good with. He was aware of Thorin and the others moving in to attack, and Kili grabbed his bow shoot another one.

"Warg scouts! That means an Orc Pack isn't far behind." Thorin seethed and quickly scanned the area to see where they were coming from. It seemed to be from both directions.

"Orc Pack?" Bilbo took a shaky breath and looked down at the blade. It wasn't blue before… please don't be blue. The sword was starting to glow blue.

Gandalf was back and questioned Thorin, yet Bilbo focused on his nerves so he could calm down. He had to handle this, and help his friends if it came back to it. How were they going to outrun them?

"I'll draw them off." The hobbit looked at Radagast, surprised. Gandalf gave a slightly doubting look. The swift movement of the attackers was coming closer.

"They will outrun you."

"These are Rhosgobel Rabbits. I will like to see them try." Radagast had a clear smirk on his face but the next second he was already off. Thorin looked doubtful, but there was no time for that.

"Come on!" he said after a moment. The collection of dwarves, hobbit and remaining wizard went to exit the trees further away from where Radagast went.

Bilbo was OK with walking. Running however, he was not so OK with. He was tired and only had a few minutes to rest his tired feet when they first decided to camp for the night. Now, it started to get dark and there was a long while until any rest will be given. The group burst through the trees, careful to get behind boulders and other cover. The noises of the chase hurt his ears, and Bilbo hoped that Radagast will be fine. The brown wizard sounded confident, and also if they caught up to him, he could perform magic to get himself out… right?

Bilbo shook his head. He had to focus on running. This was not the easiest ground to run across either. The scraggly undergrowth easily reached his knees and he stumbled along. He had the sword out, but started to wonder if he should put it back. Bilbo Baggins did not want to die by accidently impaling himself while escaping attack. That sounded pathetic, even by a Hobbit like himself who was not used to adventures. So, he moved to put the blade back in the sheath before he tripped and stabbed himself. While he did that, he tripped and almost pierced his side.

"Arh!" He made the move to stand and felt someone grab his collar and heave him up. He did not see who it was but mumbled a thank you. He then went straight back into a run. The dwarves seemed to have some trouble too. Bilbo was not the only one to fall down. Dori, one of the other unlucky ones, got back up and went considerably slower once he started again. The dwarf was not limping, yet. Bilbo fixated once more to the task of moving swiftly ahead.

His side throbbed. Bilbo brought up his hand, fearfully wondered if he had stabbed himself. No blood showed when he looked. The realization calmed him; he was just out of breath.

Bilbo stopped briefly behind a large rock outcrop. Everyone took a few seconds to catch their breath before they continued on. Gandalf and Thorin kept a lookout to where the wargs and orcs were and motioned to everyone else when the coast was clear.

It was a stumble and sprint process, from one hiding spot to the next. Most of the dwarves took to a jump-skip-run combo to not get caught up in the undergrowth. The movements weren't something the mountain dwellers were used to. Everyone was panting, though they would not admit to it easily later. The simple fact was that they had little rest the few days, and the push they did to try and outpace an attack failed and now backfired.

Bilbo tried to find any resemblance to a basic path in this terrain. It was quite pointless. This would be beautiful area to stroll through any other day. The run equaled a big pain, presently. His hardy feet started to feel the sting of prickly under bush. A nice foot massage later? That sounded absolutely pleasant. The momentary sidetrack made him fall again. To the side, Fili caught Kili from falling and pushed his brother ahead.

"Move!"

The next spot they hid behind, the accomplished a few more moments of rest. Thorin grabbed Ori and pulled him back.

"No Ori, get back!"

The ringing sound of danger, Bilbo decided to call it, came passed their hiding spot as the pursuers rushed passed. He felt a hand pat his shoulder, tired yet comforted.

"I'm fine." He gave a smile and straightened up. His legs, back and side hurt- his definition of fine definitely changed over the course of the beginning of the journey.

Before any could really catch their breath again they were off. Bilbo tightened his hands to fist momentarily and sprinted out after the others.

This pattern continued for the next several minutes. Bilbo pressed up against the back of the boulder he was currently behind. The repetitive run and hide movements caused him to lose track of exactly how long they have been doing this.

A growl-slash-pant was heard just above them and Bilbo felt his hand instinctively go to his hilt. His other reaction was to bring his hand up to his head in, fright, exhaustion? He wasn't sure.

Thorin gave a brief nod to Kili, who had already started to finger his arrows. The young dwarf gave a nervous but determined smile to Thorin and a quick glance to Fili. Then he stepped out and quickly shot two arrows. The others quickly moved in to finish off the orc and warg but the racket the two fallen made caught the rest of the pack's attention.

Bilbo pushed off the rock, time to move again- and fast.

The pace was quicker now that they were actively pursued. All the dwarves had their weapons in hand and at the ready. Bilbo felt he should have his sword out too, yet the feeling simmered that he will accidently impale himself if he slipped up again. His confidence clearly was low.

They were worn out by the time they were surrounded. Bilbo felt death was imminent and heard Gandalf's name in his mute ears. He looked around, and sure enough, he did not see the wizard anywhere. How did he get away? _Why_ did he leave them?

Most of the Company took up the offensive for defense. Kili and Ori aimed far; however, Ori had little luck finding spare stones on the ground, and Kili would soon run out of arrows if the attack continued for much longer.

"This way, you fools!" Gandalf's voice suddenly rung out and everyone turned back around in shock. Gandalf was poking out of a cave that came out of the rock. Hope flared in Bilbo and he quickly turned and gave a final jolt of energy toward the cave. He could not defend the flank with his skill anyway- best to get to safety and not be in the way.

Bilbo sat up on the cave floor and winced. His bruises burned anew with the tumble into safety. The rest of the dwarves quickly followed, Fili, Kili and Thorin being the last. Bilbo attempted to catch his breath and clutched his side. The realization that they can easily be followed into this refuge hit him and he staggered to his feet.

Right when that gloomy thought loomed in his mind, a clear horn call echoed into the stone walls. Gandalf was the one who looked not the least bit surprised. The dwarves all looked around in shock at the thought of saviors. Bilbo thought he heard horses, and the Orc Pack started a retreat. One unfortunate one rolled down toward them, an arrow in its neck. Thorin pulled it out after checking to see the orc was dead.

"Elves," he muttered darkly. The spite in his voice surprised Bilbo. They were saved! Who _cared_ who the help was from?

The decision was made to follow the path. Now that death was avoided the weariness everyone felt hit. Bilbo stuck one foot in front of the other as he focused on evening out his breathing. He was not limping, but up ahead a few dwarves, Dori had his ankle give way, finally, as he was limping.

"Are you alright?" Ori asked his brother worriedly. The older dwarf seemed completely off-putted by having the motherly concern be put on him.

"Yes, don't worry. How about you?" The two continued their worried conversation. In front of them, Nori allowed himself a short chuckle at his brothers. He was glad that they were both well enough to put all energy into anxious comments.

"How are you?" Fili stepped beside Kili, as well as he could with the narrow passageway. The archer smiled in return.

"I'm fine." He counted his arrows, brow furrowed in concern. "I used up half of them though." The blonde dwarf laughed and hugged his brother tightly. Kili sighed and returned the hug, resting his head briefly on Fili's shoulder. Thorin looked on the two and the rest of the company and a rare smile crossed his lips.

They continued down the passage for what felt like eternity. Though, Bilbo thought everything at this point felt like an eternity. So much for the night's rest- he thought by now it was almost morning. He would not be surprised if it was.

Eventually, they walked out into daylight, as the sun was at present coming up beyond the hills. In front of him was one of the most beautiful sights Bilbo ever saw. The sound of a river and waterfall and the water reflected the golden rays, wooden buildings of elegant elvish architecture. The sun illuminated the halls in the valley. The woodland that dotted the valley enhanced and framed the sight wonderfully. Bilbo gaped, and even a few of the dwarves followed the example.

"The Valley of Imlardis, in the common tongue it is known by another name." Gandalf walked behind him, obviously fully aware of where they just arrived.

"Rivendell."

* * *

**A/N:** So yay, Rivendell next chapter. I am both excited and anxious on it. I hope everyone would like what I plan to throw in there. It would be either one chapter for Rivendell or two. I have to see, one, how long it turns out, and two, how quickly I get it done. If it takes a while, I will post the first half before writing all of it out.

A couple things on this chapter: first, from watching the production videos for _The Hobbit_ movie, the on-location spot where I was 99.9 percent sure they filmed this chase scene also was mentioned of being hard to walk through/get around in. So, I played around with that idea a bit. Also, I made it at dusk/night for the chase scene because more exhausted worn-out dwarves and hobbit was one of the points of the chapter. The other reasons: Orcs are better at night, and I believe Rivendell will look absolutely beautiful at dawn.

Please review! I hate begging, and I am not. I just think every writer, including myself, will write quicker and with more passion if they have plenty of lovely reviews. The warmth of receiving an honest review is the best inspiration in the world.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** Here's the Rivendell chapter! Most of my notes will be at the end, but the entire Rivendell visit has fit into this chapter.

I do want to say thank you for all the reviews, favorites and alerts. They make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside- cheesy but true.

**Chapter Six**

Or _"The Varying Definitions of Rest"_

The decision was eventually made to go down into the valley. Not that it was that hard. Even Thorin did not find much room for debate as they were right at the front steps. Everybody was too exhausted after the last few days, last night especially, that no one would deny a good day's rest- no matter who offered it.

Most of the dwarves acted indifferent at best. Bilbo, on the other hand, was in complete awe. The beauty was enhanced as he got a closer look, and he couldn't wait to further explore. That is if their hosts would not mind if he looked around. He knew from experience by this rambunctious group of dwarves that an overstepped stay was very annoying. Bilbo was just thankful for a safe haven to rest in. Because, that was what Rivendell was.

Unfortunately, the dwarves did not see it that way. Nonetheless, the whole group was thankful to be here. It was decided that they would spend the whole day and following night here, for the map would need to be looked at in the moonlight, and the moon already faded with the dawn.

The first order of business: sleep. They received a huge room to stay in for the day, and within several minutes after a not-so-fulfilling 'green' breakfast everyone had collapsed down for slumber.

One of the ones who did not settle down right away was Oin. The healer was worried over his companions' health and his supplies desperately needed replenishing. So, he grabbed what he did have left of supplies, and ear trumpet, prior to trying to find the healing ward in this Elvish place.

Luckily, or maybe not, he shortly ran into an elf before he became lost. "I need to find the healer here. My medicinal herbs are low." He quickly adjusted his ear trumpet, so he could hear the answer.

The elf took a moment to notice where the voice came from. When he spotted the dwarf, he bowed his head in acknowledgement, mahogany hair falling gracefully over his shoulders. Maybe it was the prejudice he grew up with but elves always looked so condescending when looking down on them.

"Three halls down to the left and up the stairs is where you want to go. Then one right and take the large doors." The elf did not change its soft-spoken voice so Oin frustratingly waved his hands for a repeat. Once he was sure on the directions, he gave a gruff thank you and was off on his way.

When he reached the healing ward Oin ran into a fair-haired elf that looked at him in surprise. "May I help you? Are you hurt?"

The dwarf huffed, "No, I'm not, but I have several friends who are or simply exhausted." He then listed all the herbs he needed for his special ointment and a few other remedies. In his annoyance, the elf healer did not have everything he needed.

"What do you need these other herbs for?" Oin debated on sharing his secrets with the elf. However, that was silly not to. Sometimes they needed to put things aside; therefore, the next hour was spent with comparisons of dwarf and elf healing medicines and methods. Oin decided not to admit it was rather enjoyable and informative. In the end, the old dwarf thanked the elf and departed back to the others.

It was another couple hours until the other dwarves, and Bilbo, began to wake up. Gandalf went over with Elrond and a few others only an hour into their stay to have their own discussions. That left the dwarves and hobbit alone for most of the afternoon.

Once Dori was up, Oin quickly shepherded the dwarf to a short stool to look at his ankle. "But-" Oin hushed him, and hardly heard the complaint anyway. Sometimes it was not bad hearing- it was just selective. He was supplied with new bandages as well, and Oin pulled out all he needed for the stubborn dwarf's ankle.

"I'm fine, really. It is only twisted. Have you checked Ori? I'm sure he's exhausted."

The healer chuckled. Dori had the habit of raising his voice when annoyed and worried, so had no problem hearing him. The words were idiotic all the same, that was why he laughed.

"He is exhausted. That shows because the lad is still sleeping. I wouldn't wake him up to bother him. He's fine. I checked for signs of injury on everyone when we arrived. Stop over worrying."

"But-" There was that but again. And for the second time, Oin simply ignored it.

"You need to stop smothering Ori. Why do you think he is closer to Nori when he is hardly ever around? He knows how to have faith in his little brother and lets him be a grown up despite what all other moral dispositions Nori has."

"Truly, comparing relationships in my family? Nori is not a better brother than me." Dori crossed his arms in anger, and tried to pull his foot away. Oin held on to the ankle gently.

"How do you think Fili and Kili are so close? It's not just that they are close in age. Fili trusts his brother even though Kili is the most accident prone and impulsive dwarf I ever met. You should trust Ori's judgment, if you don't have faith in his warrior skills. He is one of the more sensible ones here."

Dori sighed and figured he was never going to win this argument. "How do you know?" Oin finished the treatment over the dwarf's ankle and gave it a firm pat.

"Because, a healer's job is more than dealing with injuries of the body."

The next one Oin checked on was Bilbo, who had gotten a few scratches on his legs and feet through the thick undergrowth yesterday.

"Maybe you would think to invest in some boots, Master Baggins?" The dwarf chuckled.

"_No_," Bilbo lamented. "I don't think it is much. I should be okay."

"I believe so. I just need to apply this first and staying here today you should be fine when we leave tomorrow." Oin finished applying the ointment and bandaged two of the more serious scratches.

After Bilbo had all his injuries intended to, Oin also applied some fresh salve on his bruises, the hobbit walked around to explore. He felt this would be a good place to spend and explore for years. Maybe it could have been because Rivendell is the first welcoming place he had been besides trees since he left home. He doubted that was the only cause, the whole atmosphere would be welcoming any time of the year.

He went by Bofur, who was playing some music at the end of the hall. The dwarf gave his cheerful smile and motioned for him to take a seat. Bilbo sat down on the bench and gave a content sigh. Bofur put his instrument away but continued to hum. He was happy at least one of the dwarves did not seem so deterred by elves that their optimism for a rest went down.

As the thought went through his head, Bilbo spotted Thorin who paced around at the other end. Their leader was highly resentful for the stay here, and that they needed the help by an elf for a _dwarf's_ map. Gandalf had played the whole thing up well, and to deny the help when they were at the front steps was absolutely absurd. Thorin knew this. He also knew he did not want to appear stupid.

Bilbo bit his lip awkwardly. He leaned in closer to Bofur, like he was about to share a secret. "So… um, what's Thorin's deal with elves?" He had been meaning to ask that question for a while now. He knew the two races hardly got along, but the dwarf prince's detest was highly palpable.

An equally awkward look passed over Bofur's face. He tugged on one of his braids in thought. "Well, I'm not sure I should be the one to answer that."

Bilbo made a face and leaned back. "I am not going to ask _him_. He'll eat my alive."

The dwarf laughed. "Maybe Dwalin or Balin, they were around and knew Thorin best then." Bilbo wasn't sure if he wanted to ask one of them either. Maybe it was simply a bad idea.

Bofur was in thought for a moment before he decided to speak. "Well, it isn't that long of a story, cut down to the bare basics, which I feel entitled enough to tell." The dwarf clasped his hands and leaned back. His eyes turned to the arched ceiling above them.

"Now, it wasn't these elves per-say that Thorin hates. Right now is more of a leaking dislike from prior experiences." They both focused on the dwarf prince for a moment. Thorin left, back to the others. Once he assumed it was safe to continue, Bofur did so.

"As I was saying, the main problem is with the elves in Mirkwood, or Geenwood, I heard it was called on fairer times." The toymaker brought out his pipe. "There was an alliance, if you could call it that, with those elves. I think that it was an uneasy and weak alliance to start with. You can guess with an alliance between two kingdoms, one would help another while it was in need."

He sighed and shook his head. Bilbo looked over at him curiously. The dwarf just gave a sad smile and continued. "When Smaug attacked, Erebor and Dale were in complete ruins. There were the dead and even more wounded. The elves came but after that they just left, doing nothing, even with several calls of help. Thorin never forgot that."

Bilbo blinked, at a loss of what to say. "Well, that… makes sense."

Bofur smiled and patted him on the back. "Enough of sad reminiscence, these halls need some good dwarven music."

Bilbo grinned back at his friend and closed his eyes to listen.

* * *

Thorin was not enjoying himself. He was not going to pretend like it. He was, however, at least had the humility to be grateful for the rest despite if it was offered by elves. What would happen was he would have his map read by an elf and they will be gone. His Company did not have time to linger around with elves. Was he being a pessimistic grouch on this topic? Yes, but there was more behind it.

Rivendell was more open than the mountain cities he was used to. There was a sense of a stone stronghold, of protection and power that this flimsy elvish architecture did not equate to. He would not deny there was still craftsmanship here. It was just foreign. There was some homeliness in Rivendell that did just enough to make him feel a certain way.

Thorin Oakenshield was homesick.

He quickly shoved the thoughts to the deepest part of the brains. This was what a rest with nothing to do did to him. He could not focus on things to distract his mind on emotional sentimental matters.

His attention was taken up by the others in the room. A few of the Company went off to explore, why, he had no idea. Over half of them remained in the large room the elves' left them, a few were still asleep. Oin had gone to sleep after everybody was looked after, and Ori and Bombur had remained asleep for most of the morning. Thorin had gotten up early. That was okay. He learned relatively early in life to get the most out of a little sleep.

There were a few chuckles of laughter to his left, which made the dwarf prince turn. Yes, unfortunately- on most occasions- both his nephews seemed to inherit the ability of a little conservative sleep. He had lost plenty of needed rest when those two never rested, ever it seemed.

Fili and Kili were laughing at something and were trying hard to hide it. That usually meant they were planning something; something he, or anyone, would not approve of. They both grinned at him, and he conceded that he would just have to wait to see what trouble was caused.

Thorin walked up to one of the balconies. He looked off into the east. The same look he reserved when he was truly longing for the Lonely Mountain. Yes, he was homesick.

He heard another dwarf come toward him and looked to the side. Dwalin stood there and gave a brisk nod, which Thorin returned.

"Your eyes are lost" the warrior stated bluntly. Thorin smiled, but said nothing. Either Balin or Dwalin crept the wise words in every now and again. Mostly it was Balin, though the tattooed dwarf popped them in there when he did not expect it.

"You will be home soon." Dwalin continued, looking off the balcony while coming to Thorin's side.

"Where is home?" His voice came out flat but not emotionless. He turned back to the Company, a stern look on his face.

"We both grew up, the majority of our lives in Erebor. We grew up, trained and took on duties there. Yet, the Blue Mountains had been a good refuge. Neither Fili nor Kili know of any other home." He continued softly. Oh no, he was not getting sentimental.

His friend was silent for a moment before he responded. "Why did they come along?"

"They were too stubborn for me to stop them. Wouldn't let me go alone." Thorin replied evenly.

The two dwarves stopped talking after that. There was no need to.

* * *

It had been a frustrating twenty minutes, but Bifur finally got what he was looking for. The elves couldn't understand him and after five minutes, okay, maybe one, the dwarf quickly became frustrated. The good news was it was only a simply request and no need for him to get angry. The better news, Bombur found him and understanding what his cousin wanted, and he was able to process the request.

So it was midafternoon, the two sat at the edge of the beds. Bifur had what he wanted; a medium-sized block of wood he could carve with. The wood was not what he favored usually; however, the wood was easier to carve on the move in a journey like this. Bifur had meant to ask for more to last a while. The problem was twenty minutes was a long time to get what he did. There was no need to waste any more.

"What are you planning on making?" Bombur asked lightly, a smile on his face. He had not seen either of his family members working much on their toys or carvings so far. There was not much time for it. Now, they had plenty, until it was time to go in the morning.

Bifur hummed in response, not bothering answering right away. He stared down at the block of wood and tried to get some inspiration. After a few more seconds, he gave a reply. It was a good idea, at least, as good as any. There was something he wanted to make clear, and this will help.

"Oh, that's a wonderful idea!" The ginger-haired dwarf clapped his hands once. "It should be lovely. When are you planning to get done? Tomorrow?" He got a nod in response.

The next several minutes passed in a comfortable peace. Bombur wondered if he could get into the elf kitchens and make some _proper_ food. Did they have anything else to eat besides salad? A quite unsatisfying morning it had been while trying to receive a decent meal after the tiring night.

Bifur continued to work steadily on his new carving. Delicate work like this always was calming for dwarf since his axe injury. The attempt to get the wood from the elves meant he needed it. Subsequently, he had almost tempted to get one of his weapons out. Bifur needed a project to work on beyond that. The architecture here was lovely but admiration did nothing on a day with hardly a thing to do.

Bofur soon came over, and he looked over at the half formed carving. He let out a cheerful laugh once he guessed what it was. "How about that- now that should be enjoyed!" He sat down next to his brother with the undeniable grin on his face. "Are you planning to be done tonight?"

Bifur waved his hand indignantly. He had basically answered that question when Bombur asked. It was not his problem if his other cousin was absent.

Bofur took no offense to the lack of a reply. Despite being an elvish haven, he appreciated the rest. The atmosphere of a home did make him feel homesick, as it did for most of the dwarves. This was the comfort for elves, and thus that atmosphere crossed with awkwardness. Everyone was doing something to keep themselves preoccupied from the mixed feelings. Bofur conversed with his family, content.

* * *

Bilbo was pleased with napping the day away. He had hardly been getting any sleep, so sleep seemed like a natural choice on this short, too brief he would guess, day off. The more he thought about it though, the more he realized it was not that smart of an idea.

The hobbit was eager to see how the elven haven appeared. No matter what his companions thought he looked forward to saturating his curiosity by exploring. The majority of the company was staying in the room they were lent. He noticed a few come and go throughout the day. Bilbo had no idea what they were doing, though by midafternoon most looked begrudgingly impressed by their hosts' home. Except Thorin, he kept a distant look in his eyes. Bilbo decided not to wonder too much on the regal dwarf. Whatever it was, it wasn't his problem. He would probably be rebuked if he asked if anything was wrong, anyway.

There was one dwarf who he thought he could enjoy the afternoon with. Bilbo walked over to the dwarf in question and cleared his throat softly.

"Hey Ori."

The young dwarf gave a small start, but he turned to look at Bilbo with a smile.

"Hello, Mister Baggins. Do you want something?" In response, he grabbed the dwarf's arm and got him to his feet. Ori was working on his journal, yet now he gave Bilbo a curious glance.

"We," Bilbo started with authority, "Are going to find Rivendell's library and explore."

Ori's eyes lit up at the words. "Are you sure it will be OK? We shouldn't be a bother."

"I am sure it will be fine. We are not planning to do anything except look around and hopefully read."

The two started the search. They stopped and remembered what turns they took to avoid losing their way back. There was no luck finding the right room, and after fifteen minutes, Ori thought out loud that perhaps they were going in circles.

Bilbo shook his head. "I wish we ran into an elf to ask directions. I really _hope_ we haven't gone in circles." He went to the next pair of doors and put his hand on the handle. "Let's hope this is it."

He pushed the door open. Jackpot. A large smile crossed the hobbit's face. "See Ori! I knew we would find it." He strolled into the room, eyes wide, mouth agape. The artist followed quietly behind him. Bilbo forgot him for a moment, slowly spinning around and taking it all in. He had never seen so many books in his life!

"This is wonderful," Bilbo laughed. His enthusiasm quickly seemed to rub off on the dwarf and soon both friends explored the large library.

The shelves towered almost to the ceiling, a considerable height especially for a Hobbit and a Dwarf. Spaced well apart, there was a roomy feel between all the shelves. They were made of a dark wood and the books- oh, all the books! Bilbo saw books in every language he was aware of, half of which he could not read. However, that did not matter. He felt a comfortable layer of knowledge soak into his brain by just being in the room.

After a half hour of looking around, Ori and Bilbo came across a small seating area to relax. There were large armchairs and an oak table in the center. Light filtered through one of the windows and gave the whole area a comfortable glow. A dark brown rug sat in the center. It was so soft; Bilbo imagined he could rub his bare feet on them for comfort for hours on end.

Instead, he took a seat down next to the dwarf. They each had five books of varying length. Bilbo took the book on the top, one that covered old tales of the Elves. His attention though went to Ori as he looked down on his own book.

"What are you reading?" he asked inquiringly.

The dwarf glanced up and gave a shy smile. "Well, not reading exactly. This is a really old book so that makes it a bit hard to read. There are a lot of smudges on it- I can't imagine the last time someone looked at it. It is an old mineralogy book, and some of the diagrams and drawings are still in good shape." Ori showed him the pages of the book. The parchment was worn, but the diagram that displayed different properties of a gem- emerald, Bilbo guessed- was clear. There was also a small list to the side that stated what metals would be good with the green gem.

"That's interesting. Have you worked with everything in there before?" That, now he thought about it, was a dumb question seeing he was talking to a dwarf. Ori did not seem fazed, however.

"Oh yes, part of the family business was jewelry. We never worked with some of the more expensive materials, like _mithril_, but we worked on several special orders for other dwarves."

Bilbo was silent for a second before he decided to ask anyway. "You talked like everything was in past tense… does your family business still run?"

Ori echoed the moment of stillness. "Oh, yes. Dori still ran some of the procedures before we left." The dwarf gave no more elaboration, and Bilbo did not ask.

A comfortable atmosphere covered them for the next hour or so, neither saying anything. Bilbo thought Ori looked the most comfortable as he ever saw him. He, himself, felt the most amounts of comfort and familiarity since he left his dear hobbit hole.

"Why did you come along? If I may ask? You seem like one that appreciates the comforts of home more than some of the others." Bilbo wished that did not come out wrong. He saw Ori's face turn sour for a brief second, as if he thought he was weak. It disappeared a brief moment later, so he was not sure if he seen it at all. The dwarf leaned back in the chair and stated his reasoning.

"Well, I followed Nori, who had to get out of town for, erm, safety reasons, and Dori deduced both of us had to have him along to make sure nothing happens. That Nori doesn't get in trouble and to baby me all the way to the Mountain." Ori crossed his arms in exasperation and shook his head. "Anyway, that was my initial decision to go with my family. I knew Fili and Kili were both going, after two weeks of convincing Thorin it was OK, and another two with their mother. That left Gimli behind out of the four of us. That was hard, and he demanded I write everything down for him once everything was said and done. I agreed because I already said to the others I will chronicle the journey. That is the second reason I came, and the one where everybody felt I had worth in being here." After the short speech, the young dwarf gave a shrug and pulled out his journey again.

"Here it is. This will be a rough draft. I will go over and make a final copy so it can go into Erebor's library." His eyes lit up again. "I talked to Balin about it. This is a wonderful library, and probably more vast than the one at the Mountain, but I can't wait to see the library once we make it."

Bilbo was increasingly interested in the dwarf's life throughout their conversations, yet did not question further. Instead he dug out the old dusty map he found.

"I found this here. It has Rivendell, of course, but it shows further East to the Lonely Mountain. It is quite old; I imagine as it shows how it was before Smaug."

Ori jumped up from his seat and looked carefully over it. He smiled as he chatted all he learned from the other dwarves on the ancient dwarf kingdom, of nearby Dale, and even a few offhand comments on Mirkwood (on the map marked as Greenwood). All the information was secondhand as Ori was one of the few who had not seen the old home. It excited Bilbo, despite the danger he knew was there, on finishing the journey to see the land. A sad thought, though, to know the land was completely desolated by the dragon.

They each went back to their own silent study over the books. The two made comments to each other if they found something interesting. Nobody bothered them, though they heard a few elves walk in and out. More hours passed and suddenly Bilbo looked up next to putting his third book down. "Wow, I believe time escaped us. We should be going back to the others now. I believe another meal was probably served within our absence."

The two book-lovers put everything on the oak table. Neither directly remembered where they got the books. They then exited through the main doors. Hopefully, they will remember which direction they came.

* * *

Several hours earlier, back with the other dwarves…

Two young dwarves sat in the corner of the room, leaning against each other. Kili yawned and looked around the room.

"Tired?" Fili asked with a short glance to his brother. The dark-haired dwarf shook his head.

"No, bored." The older of the two laughed and wrapped his arm over Kili's shoulders.

"What do you suggest?"

"Uncle looks uptight. It has been getting worse since we came here. That isn't doing any good for the rest of us." Kili sent a half-hearted glare at Thorin's back. Fili chuckled and leaned over to say something else. The archer chuckled and brought his hand up to stifle it. "We could try that."

The two spent the next few hours in what could be called the planning stage. It was hard, since every fifteen minutes or so Thorin would glare at them like he knew what was coming, or one of the other dwarves will come over to bother them. Mostly though, the planning went smoothly. Even when, they went on less time than they usually do. The two were used to at least a day's planning for their escapades.

Kili stretched and grabbed one of his brother's braids to mess with. They haf continued talking for another hour, and the fact that they were relatively quiet had set most of the company to unease. "I think we're good." He smiled after a moment of thought.

Fili grabbed his braid back and smirked. "Do you think you can do everything all right?"

"Of' course," he responded with ignition. Kili stood up and grinned widely. He walked over to Thorin with only a short look behind him. Fili shook his head and went to exit the room after he checked to see if he had everything.

Kili watched from the corner of his eye as the light-haired dwarf left the room. Regardless of taking most of the day, their plan this time around was rather simple. The biggest thing would be to make sure Thorin did not suspect anything. On top of which, it was the hardest. Kili put on his best enduring and innocent smile and did not put too much on it because that only would make the older dwarf more suspicious.

"What do you want Kili?" Thorin narrowed his eyes. Kili's smile faltered and he kicked the ground softly.

"Well, Fili and I were thinking… about the elves." The older Durin scowled, but Kili continued, not deterred in the slightest. "There is this one hall here, which reminded me of what you said of the hall in Erebor. All vast and like," he paused, not knowing the best way to continue. He bit his lip and tried to think on what exactly they decided. He stopped; a lesson he learned early on is when he tried to think, he often overthought it. "Anyway- I want to see it because we did not really get the chance when we came here." He bowed his head, in affect to try and hide his smile and to look a little abashed at the same time. "Because it looks like home, but I think it is a limited access for some reason. So… can you help me?" It was nearly impossible to resist Kili's pleading eyes, and Thorin sighed when he realized it. He shouldn't trust his nephew on this, but both of them knew how to play with his moods yet not hurt him. He hated it.

Kili grinned, the smile easily reaching his eyes. "Great, thank you!" He gave the other dwarf a tight hug, relief washing over his body.

"Get off, before I change my mind." The young dwarf pulled away and smiled. He thought he gave Fili enough time to set up. He better have because he wasn't sure what else to say.

Still, Kili moved slowly and pretended he did not remember which way he wanted to go. Fili said five minutes, and he was sure it was only three. He went in the opposite direction to buy extra time. His nerves were starting to get jittery. This all can have the complete opposite effect than what they intended.

Finally, Thorin and Kili entered the hall. Kili a few steps behind his uncle because he was not about to have it all over him.

"BOYS!"

Both Fili and Kili burst out laughing, though they tried desperately to make it more subtle. Thorin glared at them, as Kili walked over to his brother and clung to his arm to regain proper balance.

Thorin was covered in a translucent elf liquid and flowers, a bunch of florescent covered flowers. The liquid was supposed to be a calming medicine, and the two brothers stated that in their reply. "You need to lighten up, Uncle!" The words were lost as they were spoken.

Fili grasped Kili's arms and started to leave. "We will leave you be now. I hope you calm down." Prior to Thorin being able to get any other words of retribution out, the two hurried from the hall. Thorin made to grab one of them, but they both slipped through, still laughing.

"How did you get all of it together in time?" Kili asked while he looked behind him. The oldest dwarf prince was a good five paces behind them.

"Oin had some extra, and I ran into an elf on the way that helped out." Fili grabbed the younger dwarf once more and took a side hall. "This way!"

Ten minutes of dodging and avoiding Thorin passed. They managed to lose him after minute five, but they could hear him consistently following. Kili cursed under his breath as he almost tripped over his feet, again. Fili looked at him worriedly and directed him to another small hallway.

They went an additional twenty paces before Fili tripped to a halt in an effort to stop in time. Kili, taken off guard by the sudden change of momentum, fell on top of the other dwarf in surprise.

"Ow, what was that for?" The two dwarves got to their feet, and Fili motioned in front of them. Kili blinked in surprise at the young boy, who appeared about ten, in front of him. His dark hair was pulled back and had mingled curiosity and shock on his face.

"Hey, it's an elf-kid!" Fili gave his brother a gentle push.

"I don't think he's an elf."

"What?" Brown eyes went to look at the blonde dwarf. "That doesn't make sense!"

Their indecision was broken by the sound of Thorin coming close behind him. Fili looked behind him, and walked over to the boy. "Do you mind helping us? We need to get away, like now." He received a critical look in response before given a slight nod.

"Follow me." Whatever the young boy felt, he did not let it show on his face, not at the moment at least. A minute later, the three of them were in a small storage room, yet spacious enough to catch their breath.

"Thank you," Fili decided he best do the talking, since neither of them knew the child's temperament and Kili knew how to accidently set people off by being overly enthusiastic.

"Why were you two running?" The boy, Estel, asked in a light tone. He had heard that a bunch of dwarves were visiting for the day, and was told to leave them alone if he could, and not get in trouble. He did not know if he kept to those terms yet.

"We were… it was family matters." The blonde dwarf replied. Fili sat down on the floor to catch his breath. Kili walked around the small storage room to look around, looking back at the other two repeatedly.

"He means our uncle is an uptight buffoon, and we tried to make him lighten up." Fili sent his brother a glare, who promptly ignored it.

"It was a little foolish. Nothing was meant by it." He did not know why he did not want to look foolish to the boy. Maybe it was because they helped him out.

Estel smiled, yet tried to restrain it. He _had_ needed something to interrupt his rather boring day.

"Hey!" Kili stood up from where he was and had a smile on his face. In his hand was a small stash of elvish arrows. "I need some new arrows and these look like they will work well enough on my bow."

"Kili!" The brown haired dwarf looked over. "We can't just take the arrows." Kili ignored his brother and instead focused on the other occupant on the room.

"Please? Nobody would miss them… right?" He really needed the extra arrows. If they ran into more trouble, or he lost some during hunting, he would run out before they were fully passed the Misty Mountains. Kili was comfortable with his sword but not comfortable enough.

The boy narrowed his eyes in thought, and drew his shoulders back. He could see that, and it wasn't his place to make the decision, but it was not much thought to make it. "You can have them."

Kili beamed and bowed. "Thank you!" After brief consideration, Kili threw a hug in there as well.

"Oof," Estel smiled, not overwhelmed. The young dwarf was hardly any taller than him.

Fili smiled. He took Kili's hand and walked toward the door.

"Thank you," he echoed his brothers words, and leaned to the wooden surface to check and see if Thorin halted the hunt. "We're sorry for causing any trouble. The two dwarf princes bowed to the, unbeknownst, future king and slipped out of the door.

Kili counted his arrows and smiled. "That elf-kid was nice. Do you think Uncle has calmed down yet?"

Fili rolled his eyes, yet gave a small chuckle at the younger dwarf's words. "Either way, we should be getting back. I think we will be heading back out soon."

Estel moved out of the storage unit and looked around. The two dwarves were already out of sight. He shrugged and slowly made his way back to his room. He briefly wondered how far the company of dwarves had yet to travel. He wanted to go out and explore the lands, once he was old enough. Or, once he convinced everyone it was OK for him to, whichever came first.

* * *

The company was getting ready to leave. It took a while for everyone to get back into the room to start planning their departure. Fili and Kili were the last to arrive, shortly after Ori and Bilbo came back from the library. They all settled to get a couple more hours of sleep.

Thorin was antsy and now that he had the information he wanted the dwarf prince wanted to leave before their hosts stopped them. Gandalf seemed to be on the same wavelength, for once.

"Now, you will leave soon. I need to go to Council, for other matters, but it will prove as distraction enough. Do not wait up for me; I have things to attend to. I will meet up with you again in the mountains." Without any more goodbyes, the wizard bowed his head and left.

Thorin then demanded everyone to get ready. He gave a quick hardy glower to Bilbo, who looked very reluctant packing up. He also noticed that Kili added several elvish arrows to his quiver, but didn't ask about it. Both his nephews avoided him once they got back from hiding. They seemed displeased their attempt to 'lighten him up' failed.

Bilbo just finished with his pack when he heard a few dwarves come over. His gaze travelled to Bifur, Bofur and Bombur. He had no idea what they wanted with him until Bifur held up a small wooden sculpture. The hobbit took it, and to his surprise, it was a model of him. There lacked detail of something that had days put into it, but beyond that it was very well done. He gaped.

Bifur said something, and Bofur quickly translated. "He says that's for you for being good friends to all of us."

He looked down at his hands. His face looked back up at him in a shy, friendly smile. Bilbo did not know if by 'all of them' meant just the three dwarves or the whole company, but he felt moved. "This is, this is- did you do all of this today?"

Bifur nodded happily. Bilbo smiled and slipped the wooden statue into a small pocket in his bag. "Thank you."

A few minutes later, Thorin called them to leave. "Let's go. We stayed here long enough." The dwarves murmured in consent. Bilbo looked around sadly. Part of him wished he could stay. He shook the thought out of his head. No, he made the decision to help these dwarves, and that was what he was going to do.

"Let's go," he said under his breath, and followed the line forming out the door.

* * *

**A/N:** I hope that was enjoyable. I fretted over this chapter more than any of the others so far. I tried to cover as many as the dwarves as possible. No worries, at least once I will give each dwarf a time in the spotlight.

I hinted in the second chapter that Bilbo and Ori would have some bonding time over books. I was saving that time specifically for this chapter, and I think it came out well. And yes, Dori also got some schooling from Oin on brotherhood. I had a feeling readers think he is a little too pushy and protective- which he is, to a degree- so I hope you all enjoyed that.

Now, the most anxious part of the chapter for me- kid!Aragorn. I had a tug-a-war in my mind about if I should include it or not. I am not confident in having his character down, and even more so that he is a kid. I did check the Middle Earth timeline, and he is ten years old in _The Hobbit_. And Kili will refer to him as kid-elf, well aware he is wrong, in the same manner as he will forever call Bilbo, 'Boggins.' Simply, he does not know how to stop and finds it amusing.

A side goal of mine is to include throwbacks (throw-forwards?) to LOTR. Hopefully, and I believe so, Legolas will be easier once I reach the Mirkwood chapters.

Now, I have no idea when the next chapter will be up. I have a huge paper due in a week and a half that is not yet half way done. Once I am finished with that, chapters should flow out a little easier. A few more chapters and we should conclude what is given in the first movie before moving on in the adventure. Cheers. Please review because reviewers are awesome. If you don't review, I am sure you are still awesome, but I won't be as happy.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** I would like to say thanks again for all the amazing reviews. Readers enjoying this story make me happy. I am also pleased to say my research paper in school is done and out of my hands. Now, I just have to worry about finals.

This chapter covers some inner-conflict within the Company before we get to the outer-conflict of the final part of the first film in the next couple chapters. The only thing I can say it is a little all over the place. I kind of hinted there would be some inner-tensions in the summary, so here you go.

**Chapter Seven**

or _"Of Tension and Snowballs"_

Bilbo thought something was very, very wrong here. He had no other word to describe what was going on. No, he, at least, had no clue for it. The fact he did know was that it made him fill with unease.

The fact was that everybody seemed to be arguing. The hobbit failed to tell exactly what caused it. There were only a few sources that he could think of. The first, after the relative peace and stableness of Rivendell, the dwarves had become more easily antsy and uptight after being thrust on the road again. Most of the Company would dispute this point. Simply because few of their group would admit the elf haven was a comfortable rest. Furthermore, admitting they were thrown off kilter of the absence of restful comfort would reason further dispute.

The second guess Bilbo had was that it could be because Gandalf was absent. The wizard always offered a calm atmosphere, one edged with wisdom. He was social, though not as part of the group of dwarves as they were with each other. With this thought, Bilbo could not guess how Gandalf's simple absence would cause such antagonism bubbling over the camp. Maybe the wizard had put a calming spell over everybody constantly? No, that was crazy! The hobbit sighed, and hunched his shoulders as he walked on.

The final estimate Bilbo came up with did not make him happy, but it did make the most sense. Just possibly, he had simply not noticed the constant arguments that arose within the group, and that they always were going on. He had quite enjoyed the rest in Rivendell. Now that he was thrown back out onto a constant trek he was more weary and irritable- more keen to notice the pessimistic going-ons in camp. If Bilbo did not feel like dealing with stubborn dwarves, he had often talked to Gandalf to distract him. Currently, there was no one. He was stuck in his weary mood around an agitated company of dwarves- and he picked up on it.

A little more of a week had passed since they set out from Rivendell. At first, everything seemed fine. There was a renowned energy since after the brief rest, and everybody, minus Bilbo, were eager to continue the quest. Then he had heard and picked up little snippy comments here and there. He was good at blocking those out. Further along, he had heard constant mutterings and words that led to quarrel. Finally, at least once a night, starting on the third day post-Rivendell, there would be a heated fight in raised tones. Bilbo was quite honestly surprised that no one had gotten physical yet. This was a company of dwarves, after all.

Then again, he could only be overacting. Bilbo was a passive hobbit, and a rambunctious group of dwarves could easily set him off balance. The Company seemed good at doing that if nothing else.

A half dozen paces away, Fili and Kili passed by him. The two brothers had lowered their voices, yet both seemed agitated at the other. Bilbo groaned. If even those two were at odds with each other, who had proven to be extremely close, he was not overacting.

There was something seriously wrong here.

* * *

Nori knew he should keep himself quiet. That was what he did. The tri-lobbed dwarf would not call himself a sneak, as that was a little harsh of a word, but it was close enough. So, the art of silence was absolutely necessary.

Why, then, had he made such a racket on such a small problem? Nori did not think of what he did as a problem, and really it wasn't. The problem again though was he had not kept quiet.

That was when Dwalin had come up, thinking he had done something wrong, when he had not. Nori was just sorting through the supplies, _not_ taking anything. He tried to explain this to the impossible-mannered tattooed dwarf, and he would not do anything. Nori was not a novice like that to make noise. If he did do anything he would be quiet about it. And what use would it be to steal from other members of the company? He only did it while it was practical. Nope, sense did not register for the other dwarf.

The fact they had a history of these kinds of arguments before the quest did not help the matter.

"The best thing you could do is admit to the deeds." The tall dwarf had his arms crossed and looked the full bit of intimidating. If the one on the receiving end was not used to it. Usually, it worked on Nori, but, right now, he was too annoyed to be anything else.

"I did not do anything! Name one time, no ten, when I did not come clean once I was caught."

"I could name a hundred." Dwalin stalked off a second later. The thief thought this was a good thing, yet the other dwarf left in a mood like he had won.

"Fine- come up with that much." Nori knew the honor by the words spoken would mean Dwalin would have to come up with the number he stated. No matter what mood the words were spoken in. And, he wouldn't be able to do it. Nori had not even been caught a hundred times. He had the number at seventy-eight, yes, he counted.

That way, he was confident with the conflict right now. He would hold on to that as long as possible. A quick glance behind, the problem was trying to keep a good front to his little brother. Ori was not blind, he knew, but if Dori could get away with his mother hen antics then Nori could hope.

* * *

Bombur was generally a quiet and mellow dwarf. He did not get in others business if he could help it. Bofur was always open with words for the both of them, not that the ginger haired dwarf was closed off in any fashion. Bombur knew how to use limited words to get the same point across. They balanced each other.

With that point in mind, the round ginger-haired dwarf did not argue, or like to argue. The best argument was a food fight and then that was wasting food.

The one thing even the mellowest of people had conflict over were deals concerning family. That was how it started with Gloin, and really, Bombur did not notice how antsy he got over it.

"Why, I don't think that is the right with being that young. The mines are OK, but combat should wait a few extra years."

"That works if they are lucky. But you know how young male dwarflings are; they would find a way to get in a fight anyway. I'm not saying that's a good thing. It has to be handled so everyone knows how to defend themselves. The sooner the better."

"Gimli is your only child so of' course you have to make sure he can hold his own. But with the amount of kids I have you have it is a different story."

The two had been going on and off on child raising techniques and mannerisms for the whole day. The argument did not become overly heated, yet it was consistent and worn the atmosphere down. Family was a passionate subject with usual passive Bombur and Gloin just as much as an already passionate dwarf. No one did bother to stop them, however. Both Bofur and Oin knew when the point was passed for their brothers to stop being reasonable. Thus, neither really tried.

The other main reason was most dwarves were not experienced with raising a family- so they would be shot down in any attempts. Only a few in the company had much experience in that field that decidedly chose not to put any input. Whether Thorin did not was due to the fact the two dwarves he helped raise were practically ten paces behind him and would beg to differ if Thorin did say anything, or he simply did not want to bother. Dori also kept quiet.

So, the argument between the two gingers went pretty much interrupted to supper that night. This would be fine if Bombur had remembered to make dinner. Bilbo had tried to access the dwarf's supplies so he could try something himself, not bother his friend, but the hobbit was shooed angrily away.

"Now, what we have here is that you do not understand. The best thing is to take care of the basic skill sets first. Something like cooking," Bombur stated with an irritated voice.

"No doubt but specialized skills need to start as early as possible if anyone will get ahead."

"Multi-tasking in learning will be too much. Focus on one thing will guarantee smoother acquiring of knowledge."

"Then why do you have so many kids?"

"What?" Gloin was not intimidated by the glare and continued.

"Because you have to put a certain amount of attention to each one. Is that too hard?"

"Oi, Bombur, we're hungry!" Bofur came over to his brother and patted him hard on the back. The goal was to try to distract him before this got ugly. The other reason was that they were, in fact, all hungry.

Bilbo shifted uneasily by the fire. He did not have the will to try and make something on his own, and he was highly uncomfortable.

"That is not hard for a real dwarf to handle."

"Hey, why not when we are all done on this quest we can sort this all out. Each would babysit the others dwarflings for a day, whatever day the other is most busy. Simple!" Bofur attempted to interfere once more. His hope was they would both forget several months down the road, but it was not a bad alternative. The now was what was important and finish setting up camp and eating some food.

Oin said something to Gloin and after the brothers' words sank in the two dwarves started to deflate. The half of the camp that watched everything unfold let out a breath.

Less than five minutes later, the camp was back to normal and the Company settled for the night.

* * *

Bofur walked in the middle of the group, one of his most common spots. The dwarf gave a brief glance to his brother, who looked amiable and happy enough. He had not seen Bombur that agitated, as he was last night, for a long while. Then his eyes travelled to Gloin, and the other ginger haired dwarf seemed just as unruffled. He did not blame the dwarf at all. Ones got sensitive when it concerned family. That was why he should have probably interfered earlier, as he knew how rattled Bombur could get after a hefty argument.

There will probably be a mini-feast tonight if he knew the other dwarf. The cook always overcompensated anytime he felt on the wrong side. If only there was enough food to cook.

Bofur let his mind wander away from the topic of old arguments and food. He was not a stark pacifist, he was still a dwarf, but he did rather hope conflicts would settle as soon as possible. There was no point to think long over things once they resolved. That merely caused bitterness.

He slowed his pace until he was next to Bilbo, near the back of the mish-mashed line. The hobbit looked dejected, and Bofur offered an assuring slap on the back. His smaller friend jumped in the air in shock, but once he noticed what was going on Bilbo smiled.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," the hobbit replied. A few moments passed before he elaborated. "I think… I am finally figuring out what I am getting into on this journey after leaving Rivendell."

The dwarf gave a hearty laugh and gave a gentler pat. "I don't think we're half way through yet!" The old 'optimistic and too blunt' voice came back out, as Bilbo saw it. The hobbit groaned.

"Please, don't say that." He buried his face into his hands.

* * *

Dwalin had worked the last three days on his list. Once he was sure he had it, he confidently strolled up to Nori and thrust it to the dwarf's chest. The thief just raised his eyebrows in surprise before he looked it over.

He did not know how he could use that specific list against Nori for the current time. What Dwalin did know was it would prove as helpful in the management of the sneaky dwarf. Some hard evidence always helped.

No specific reason caused this antagonism between the two dwarves. It was several specific explanations and circumstances. Dwalin had dealt with several criminals before, and they were all annoying. His first time with dealing with Nori was twenty years ago. Since then, he was the one who dealt with the dwarf at least sixty percent of the time. The majority on the list was from his experience.

The one thing why Dwalin had not pummeled the other dwarf yet was because he knew it started, at least, with taking care of his family. The taller dwarf looked over to Ori as the young dwarf talked to Kili. Actually, Kili was doing the majority of the talking, yet both dwarves seemed content enough.

Yes, he understood loyalty to others. Dwalin just did not understand why they had to break the law to do it. Nori seemed honest enough when he joined the quest, and maybe after this was done the dwarf would see enough in honest work. That way he did not have to worry about him getting in trouble anymore.

The dwarf in question finally looked up from the list, unimpressed. "Several of these are repeated when they're really the same offense. Number twenty-three and forty-one is an example. Two different items but it was the same time, same load, and I did not get caught separately for them."

Dwalin's jaw twitched in frustration. "What?" He loomed dangerously over the convicted trouble-maker. Or, maybe Nori would always be that way. No one changed their spots that easily. He was thinking too hopefully then. It was the last thing he wanted to do.

In response, the carefully written list was ripped in half. "Honorable dwarf, very nice try, but even if you succeeded in this task it does not prove I did anything so far on this quest."

The words felt like a slap in the face, an insult. Dwalin cracked his knuckles threateningly. He knew his knuckle dusters always seemed to get any way-ward's attention. "I would rethink these words carefully."

"No, you're right. Let's bury the axe here. These words are adding heat to actions in the past. But, I say, I did nothing wrong since I signed on here. Everything else is in the past." Nori showed his hands, palm up; his way of saying he was honest with the speech.

Dwalin grunted in response then let the other dwarf alone. He would have to take a different tactic to make sure Nori shaped up to being open, but so far, there was little, yet enough, progress.

* * *

Kili could tell his brother's eyes were steady on his back, but he refused to turn around. Fili would have to deal with it. There was nothing that he did wrong. He would give it another day and try to talk again tomorrow.

Currently, he was in deep conversation with Ori. His friend seemed a little uncomfortable but Kili knew how to say a few jokes to ease the mood. The scribe was his usual bet whenever he and Fili got in any kind of argument. As long as he never dragged the other dwarf in direct involvement, Ori proved enough distraction to talk to.

The other option was Thorin; however, long ago, their uncle made the point clear if his nephews argued at all, he was, absolutely hundred percent of the time, not going to get involved. That was probably due to the fact the one time he did the whole thing did not go well for Thorin. Kili did not think so, then again, he was a little bias.

"I'm tired," he grumbled silently. Ori gave him a brief look before focusing on the path ahead of them once more.

"You could look at some of my books." He knew it was useless. What it could do, though, was fully take Kili's mind off the moody cloud in another way.

The archer gave a short laugh and shook his head. "No, it would only prove to put me to sleep. You need to find better ways to have fun."

"I think you do. Your record would be cleaner." Kili gave a superior look to the shorter dwarf. He looked deeply offended by the words.

"No, I really don't. What have I ever done wrong?" He quickened his pace with a half-hearted glare behind his shoulder.

"I can give you a list." Ori hid a grin with his hand. He heard Kili huff ahead of him and the other dwarf did not look back.

Tue enough, Kili was tired. It was not the kind of tired where he wanted sleep, although rest would certainly help. His energy was suppressed with his mood, which caused extra strain in overall for the young dwarf. The long days also put the focus on nothing but trekking, instead of his normal routine of trying to relieve the tempers up.

Maybe it was him. The light-heartedness was what kept the days short for him. Now, if merely everyone else will see that.

"Kili-" He felt a hand on his arm and he immediately shrugged it off.

"Leave me alone, Fee." He still refused to look behind him.

"We should talk," Fili sounded worn down, which was true. They have been going back and forth like this for almost a week. "Stop acting like a kid-"

"Stop treating me like one!" Kili almost shouted and succeeded in getting attention from a few of the other dwarves.

"I don't. All I said was," but he did not finish his sentence. Kili shrugged him off, again, and stepped back with a dejected look.

"Please," the younger of the two gave a brief smile. It was not the irresistible one the dark-haired dwarf usually had, but it was still enough for Fili looked away, abashed.

"You're hopeless." The blonde dwarf stepped forward and gave his brother a tight hug and a kiss on the temple.

Kili looked at the ground for a brief moment before he continued walking. His hand went up to play with a few dark strands of hair in thought. He felt a little hollow; the stubborn side of him resisted the bubble form back inside him.

* * *

Balin watched on to the camp a small sigh. Unlike the small hobbit, he knew how dwarves worked, and these specific ones even more. A long journey like this would cause that to happen. More than that, his age and experience gave several insightful memories on how to handle rowdy and argumentative dwarves.

For the most part though, the wise dwarf let things go. Sometimes interference would make the situation worse if one did not know how to handle it. Attempts to stop the constant conflict will only backfire in the long run. With a bunch like this, the situation was better not to let any animosity simmer for long periods of time. The outbreak once the feelings got out will only be worse.

Therefore, Balin kept a pleasant conversation with Thorin. Their leader had the same keep-out of everything policy. Thorin would interfere if something became too tense, but the stubborn and proud dwarf generally stayed out of it in case his personality made it worse. Balin admitted that the regal dwarf was poor on conflict management in several aspects. People settled down when they respected Thorin, but future scenerios he would have to work without the respect in place.

The other dwarf's face right now was confused; a look he adapted every time Fili and Kili got in any type of argument. Balin looked over to the two young dwarf princes - both brothers were propped up against each other, too tired to continue their feud right now. Despite there being more productivity with the two not planning to disrupt the peace the tension grew with the cheerful dwarves at odds.

Balin was happy to see the young dwarves slowly make up. He may be the oldest dwarf here, but he enjoyed the mischief of the younger generation. There needed to be something to alleviate the mood.

"We'll be reaching the Misty Mountains with a day's trek." He stated calmly, all business.

"We have to be careful." Thorin responded and glanced back to the towering peaks. "Hopefully, the wizard will be done with whatever he's been doing and meet us as planned." The way he spoke it sounded like he would just continue on if Gandalf met them on time or not. Balin decided not to comment. If he put the idea in Thorin's head to continue without the wizard when if it wasn't there in the first place then there was no doubt the stubborn dwarf would carry through.

Thorin stood up to distribute watch, and Balin noticed he put several pairs on duty that previously argued. He sighed. The rest of them _did_ want some sleep. Thorin did need to work on his management- settling scores in the middle of the night was not the most prolific way to go.

* * *

The following day did lead up into the mountains. The higher they got the more comfort came to the mountain-loving dwarves. Everybody knew that it was not the safest mountain ranges, nonetheless the peaks brought a feeling of more familiar comfort.

It also brought snow. Kili shouted in joy once he noticed the fluffy white stuff and jumped into the patch. His speed and direction of trajectory guaranteed he would land on his back. Fili chuckled, not making the usual move to help the hyperactive dwarf up.

Kili glared back at him and picked up and bundled a patch of snow before throwing it at the blonde dwarf's face. He was not the only dwarf to go along that path. Nori had quietly patched some snow in a ball and after thinking of a target he threw the snow at the back of Dori's head.

Within fifteen seconds, almost all the dwarves were engaged in a mighty snowball fight. Some had paired up with others and moved to settle payback in a physical yet nonviolent way. A few minutes passed and the snowball mania rapidly developed into free-for-all, everyone against everybody else.

A few members of the Company did not join right away. One of these was Thorin, who considered the whole thing below him. That led to a few brave, or stupid, souls left to gang up on him and get him to join. This was, mainly, Fili and Kili, who took several snowballs each and barraged Thorin. Surprisingly, the most mature, in his mind, dwarf prince did not retaliate right away. He simply glared at their backs as the two stumbled away to attack their next victim.

Dwalin soon noticed his respected friend was not participating. Now, these two have a long history of friendship and trials that warranted some fun with each other every once in a while. Dwalin rolled out a large snowball, no one daring to attack him while he was busy or distracted. Only more fury would go toward them. He then took the giant snowball and threw it at Thorin's face. That had successfully gotten the dwarf in the fight.

Thorin's first target was Kili; since he wanted, for a long time now, to get back at him for various misdemeanors since the start of the quest. The dark-haired dwarf bent up in a ball once Thorin dumped snow down his coat.

"I didn't do anything! I didn't do anything!"

Fili laughed but first took the opportunity to aim at the back of Bifur's head before going to help his brother.

The final member to join in was Bilbo, and most of the dwarves fully had the intent on each other to heed the hobbit any mind. That was until both princes escaped Thorin and noticed Bilbo awkwardly standing on the side.

Bilbo squeaked as snow came full on in the chest. Soft laughter came from behind him and he turned to see Ori, as the dwarf attempted to stifle it.

"It really is good to get it out there, Mister Baggins. Really, there is a lot worse this group could do for fun." Ori took a snowball and fired it at Oin. Bilbo was surprised how well little Ori did. Then again, both Ori and Kili proved to have the best aim thus far in the snowball craze with their weapon experience. "Had you never had a snowball fight before?

Bilbo shook his head and bent down to pick up some snow. He evened his breathing before he charged into the fray. Bilbo took an aim at everybody, not sure who was the best target and wanted to be fair in who he attacked. However, he did aim quite a few snowballs at Thorin and managed to hide or look preoccupied every time the dwarf turned to look.

Another hour went by prior to the snowball fight settled down. All the dwarves breathed heavy, soaked to the bone, and fully cheered up. The good news was the escapade started late in the day anyway, so they only lost a little bit of the day. A five minute search led to a rocky-overhang that would suffice for a camp spot for the night.

Kili shrugged off, or attempted to, Fili's coat when the other dwarf offered it to him. He soon gave up and curled up at his brother's side. The older dwarf gave a relieved sigh and wrapped an arm around Kili's shoulders. The dark-haired dwarf was thoroughly drenched, more from his clumsy feet than any amount of snowballs.

Dori also fretted over Ori, who was a little better off. The scribe pulled out his extra quilted items and held them up before he found a comfortable spot to settle by the fire.

Bilbo collapsed down by the others, a smile on his face. Several dwarves with amplified spirits went around congratulating each other on their success and good shots in the game. A couple came over to him with a hearty laugh. The hobbit gave a nonchalant nod and tried not to act like he thought he enjoyed it too much. Thorin was on the same boat but for the first time in a long while a smile stayed on his face longer than ten brief moments. It was an arrogant smile, but it was still there.

Further time passed than usual until everything was fully set up for the night. Once the camp was set, a content atmosphere developed.

* * *

**A/N:** The snowball fight actually fit in naturally as I wrote. Even if it didn't, I was going to include it anyway. Need some fluff, as I don't think I would get much chance to include more for a few more chapters.

I know I did not really resolve, or explain, Fili and Kili's argument, and that was on purpose. It isn't resolved. I have future plans for Durin drama, which will not settle for being included in just one chapter.

Oh, and listening to a couple interviews (I am a behind-the-scenes and interview obsessed) I concluded that film!Bombur has about a dozen or so children. Yep. Probably should have included that in the chapter, but it is fine to wonder exactly how many he has while reading it.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** These next few chapters I dubbed 'the longest day/night ever' arc and will cover to the end of the first movie. I'm so excited! I also want to thank every sort of reviews, favorites, alerts and views that I have received so far on this story! Thank you so much! I will continue to try to be consistent with updates and story quality.

**Chapter Eight**

or _"Pouring"_

The next few days the light feeling turned into a gloomy one. The snow had disappeared and instead murky puddles took their place. The focus was put on getting ahead of the mountains instead of causing tension with each other. The mountains became more sheer and bare, with no clear paths beside a few ledges.

The Company still managed to find a campsite each night. Either it was a cave or overhang, or simply a place wide enough to sleep and settle. None of the dwarves seemed to mind, and Bilbo dealt with it. Stone was not the most comfortable thing in the world, yet as long as he had a spot to sleep, and his bedroll, the hobbit would be fine. His bruises from a couple weeks ago had finally disappeared and he was able to walk well enough. Well enough, that is, for someone with little hiking experience on mountain peaks.

The third camp night after the snowball fiasco everyone huddled around the campfire. The flames could barely be called a proper fire. Kindle was near impossible to come across. The wit filled dwarves in this terrain had found scraggly bushes and other grasses that were able to set the blaze. A light drizzle of rain had been constant, and more clouds loomed on the horizon- a promise of a storm. The rain was collected in a few containers, and this was used for cooking and drinking.

Bombur growled at the cooking pot. The fire could hardly last long enough to cook, for one, for another, there was little food. Kili had shot down a bird but lost three of his arrows in the process. The young dwarf tried to get one of them back. The only thing that stopped him from falling was Fili's firm grip on his brother's shoulders.

A bird, plus one large rodent Nori spotted and was able to kill. All together, the meal was barely hearty for fourteen. Bilbo helped the best he could with Bombur on the meal. The dwarf asked if Bilbo knew any techniques to make a small meal large. Regretfully, the hobbit told him no.

"I'm sorry. I really wish I did." Bilbo was used to several meals a day. He desperately, this far in the journey, wanted to keep that to many meals a day. He was a hardy individual, and if he was not he would have starved ages ago. Bilbo glanced down at himself. His coat fit less snugly, instead limply hung about his form. He patted his belly sadly; the comfortable plumpness that determined a well fed hobbit had all but disappeared. Bilbo had hardly noticed how down and filthy he looked. He never had the chance to study himself. Now, he wished he kept it that way.

"That's fine." Bombur sighed in response. He rubbed his ginger beard in some agitation while he stirred the stew. Bilbo observed the dwarf; the aforementioned beard looked loose in its braid. No large physical change came to the dwarf since he knew him, but the simply untidiness gave the appearance of more drawn out air. Bilbo glanced around and saw several of the dwarves the same way. However, he also saw Oin help Gloin sort out his mass of beard. Several of the group took the relaxing time to sort out their hair. The domestic task made him smile.

His eyes continued to travel the camp until the gaze found Thorin. The regal dwarf looked up, and Bilbo hurriedly looked away to finish helping with the meal.

Thorin let out a puff of air. Again, he found the thought in his head if the Halfling just asserted himself beyond being so… meek, he would find it easier to respect their burglar. He shook his head and turned back to Balin and Dwalin.

He and the two older brothers had sketched out a map of the Misty Mountains and the area east. They had to figure out which way to go through the mountains and what path that would lead the company to.

"I say we start heading to the north path as soon as possible. Then we could head the trail around Mirkwood." Thorin stated in a clear voice. This sounded like the best plan for the three. The central paths through the mountains, where they were now, made the obvious choice, however. All of the routes were proven ample and sure enough. That would lead them to hit the road straight to Mirkwood, a place they all wanted to avoid for different reasons.

The one path not taken would be south. It led toward Moria; none of the three wanted to return to those haunts, not now. The question was not brought up, and none of the others brought it up either. It was too far south anyway, and the north way may not be that much better. If they managed to find and take the trail to the north, everything should be good. Otherwise, the straight path through would be the best bet. Then the decision could be made if they should go through Mirkwood.

Before further plans were made, Dori came over and delivered their food. The size of the portions weren't commented nod, and the three gave a nod in thanks. The other dwarf smiled and turned to sit by Ori and Bifur.

Thorin leaned back against the rock. His piercing blue eyes stared out into the sky, deep in thought. Balin gave him a quick glance.

"How long do you think the rest of the journey will take?" They all had an estimate, but nothing could be guaranteed.

"We are not a large number," the prince spoke with some regret. "That should give us some speedier travels. I estimate if we run into no major holdups we should make it by Durin's Day and some time to spare."

The plan was to move as quickly as possible. Plans that were not put out in elaborate detail because there was slim chance everything, anytime, would go as planned.

* * *

The storm did, eventually, come. When the start came upon them the path was relatively wide in width. Dwarves, and hobbit, could stand side by side, three in a row. There were rocks and stones littered on the path, making it uneven. No one thought of to ask why the route was so haphazard- perfectly smoothed like creature made paths or incredibly ragged path of stone. At least, Bilbo did not ask. No one else voiced an interest, and he figured they knew. The hobbit was perfectly fine being in the dark. He had enough attention on putting one foot in front of the other.

Water poured down by the bucket fills. That was the first hour. Curses echoed off the walls as everyone stopped to pull up their hoods and/or hats. Bofur offered Bilbo his hat because the smaller member of the company had no sufficient headwear. The hobbit shook his head, blinking water out of his eyes. He did not want to impose, and he will be very disappointed if he lost his friend's dear hat. The wind may take it right off his head. The aforementioned wind bit at his ears and exposed skin and made more water get in his eyes. This caused all the dwarves around him to be blurry shapes in the rain. One thing he could tell was everybody had gotten their gear up and slowly continued moving.

The rock was slick to the touch. Bilbo clung to the side of the mountain like a lifeline and as a guide. Soon, the dwarves he stood next to now moved in front and behind, and the foot had come close to the edge. He tried to breathe normally at the thought of falling, rocks below crushing his body. The rest of the Company went on resolutely, and Bilbo had to keep up. He wanted to complain; if there was a time he wanted to complain by just walking on this quest it would be now. What would he say? Slow down? He did not want to slow down; Bilbo wanted to get out of these mountains as shortly as possible. So his grip tightened on the stone wall to his side.

Bilbo was used to grass and mud. The soft comfortable padding and support offered from the earth. He never thought about it before, but he thought about it now. Hard rock was different. With soil, water was absorbed- the ground retained some traction. However, with rock, the water stayed on the surface and made the ground slippery. His sturdy hobbit feet lost their traction almost every step. Thus, he hardly failed not to fall to his death. Bilbo ended up staying to miniscule steps with a wide stance, as wide as he could make it. 'Walk like a duck,' an old saying for walking on ice, he hoped it would work for slippery rocks. A brief thought caused him to see how his companions had made their pace but found it impossible in the rain. Focus demanded to be placed on what was in front of him.

The pour rapidly increased to the barrel full. Light conversation was heard earlier in the day. Now, nobody tried with the roar of the wind and splash of rain. No one knew the time of day either. The storm started in the early afternoon and the clouds amassed in the sky. Grey shadows and no sun, a wholly depressing atmosphere.

The steadfastness of all the dwarves was tangible, and Bilbo felt inadequate in how he was handling the weather. It was just _weather_! Really, really bad weather that made him wish harder for his nice comfortable hobbit hole more than the constant arguments of the days prior. Then again, almost every problem they came to so far led to the same conclusion in his mind.

Everything clung to Bilbo: his honey curls, his shirt, waistcoat, trousers, everything! He wiped some water pointlessly from his forehead. He put his hands up and cupped some water in his hands. Despite all this water, the constant nerves had made his mouth incredibly dry. His hands rapidly filled with water, and he took a drink.

"Have not seen a storm like this in a long while," a dwarf voice said behind him. Bilbo turned, he still believed the dwarf directly behind was Bofur, but he could not be sure. The voice sounded like his.

"Oh?" Bilbo was unclear if the dwarf heard him. He either spoke in an incredibly soft voice or a high squeaky one. Dread coursed him. He did not want to show how uncomfortable he was. It was probably best if whoever spoken had not heard him.

"Yeah, and when these happen we all stay safely in the mountain." The voice spoke again, either he heard Bilbo or simply continued whether he heard the reply or not.

The words faded in and out of Bilbo's hearing. He heard _whoosh_, happen, _whoosh_, safe-, _whoosh_, in mountain. The hobbit considered the safety of some cave and wondered why they had not taken shelter before now. Was Thorin _this_ stubborn? But no, they had not come across any form of shelter in the last few hours or however long it had been.

* * *

Sloshing puddles on the narrow path made walking more difficult. A few of the Company had taken hold of the back of each other's coats. This sounded like a splendid idea to Bilbo, but he felt if he got assistance from anybody else he would send both of them to their deaths. Instead, his hands located the stone beside him once more and continued acting like it was his best friend. Bilbo was soaked, largely due to the rain, partly, he thought, due to sweat. He was a nervous wreck. The other company members near him seemed to be at least slightly at unease. Then again, maybe it was wishful thinking.

"I think we should find a spot to rest!" He shouted into the wind. The hobbit did not care what the stubborn dwarves thought of the declaration. Neither did he know if they heard him.

The words were hardly out of his mouth when a low deep grumble echoed from the mountain side. The next second, a shock sent the ground moving. Bilbo stiffened his grip on the side of the path, yet his faith in the very structure of the mountain had diminished significantly. A _pit-pat_ noise came from his side, and a few small pebbles cascaded down the mountain. The size of them was tiny, hardly distinguishing from the raindrops. He didn't care; he was exhausted, annoyed, and that led to feeling paranoid on everything.

"Is that thunder?" He squeaked out. Why did he always squeak when nervous? He wanted to be safe, quiet, and warm. Oh, how he wanted to be warm. Right now, Bilbo was just numb.

The squeakiness of his voice must have been heard, or maybe it was a coincidence.

"This is no thunder storm; it's a thunder battle. Look!" That was Balin, from what Bilbo could hear, which was not much. All he could hear was a reverberating noise in his chest that resonated equally around him. He failed to take the actual words in until he viewed the sight before him. Bilbo had prior kept his gaze as nearsighted as possible.

In front of him, he saw blurry shapes in the rain- giant shapes. There were no doubt they were the size of the mountain. They were the mountain and in a middle of a fight.

"Well, bless me. The legends are true. Giants, stone giants!" Bofur was the one who called out now, ever blunt as always. Bilbo closed his eyes shut tight. 'Really- _really_?' he thought. Well, this did not seem so bad. They were a good ways away.

"Duck!" Someone called out as a large boulder exploded over their heads. Bilbo was shaking and he adhered as close to the stone wall as he could. His hands slipped and he desperately tried to get a better grip. The small outcrops from the wall jammed into his back as he tried to remain steady. That was all he could do.

Still not that bad, he considered. It could be wor-

The whole mountain the Company was on started shaking dangerously, yet in a clear symmetric flow. It was like they were on another stone giant.

There were shouts to move or do something. The one clear thing was he could not be sure of anything now. More rocks had tumbled down toward them. Bilbo strengthened his grip on the rock until his hands hurt. Still, he felt that he hardly could get a good grip. Grit had embedded into his hands. So numb, after the long day, he could not keep his senses sharpened enough to comprehend or survive what was going on at present.

From what he could tell in the rain, was it appeared that their group was split about in half. Bilbo swayed side to side as the stone giant did its battle thing. He tried to keep his feet to have a firm hold on the ground below him. The ground was not much, and it looked like a deadly fall. His heart pounded against his chest and a piercing ring resounded in his ears. Was this what death was like? Nerves were haywire until they exploded. Yells and calls dully registered to his ears. He did not know if they were real or just in his head. His feet lost their footing for a split second and a hollow gasp was punched out of his chest. Only a few seconds passed, Bilbo was sure; nonetheless, he wanted it to end, immediately.

When he fully came to his senses again, or as closely as he could, Bilbo noticed that they were heading a straight path to being crushed back into the mountain. They were going to crash. He did not know if he had been screaming, nonetheless he screamed now. He was going to die; he was sure he was going to die. Bilbo did not even get to see Bag End again, or really say goodbye to the world. A few seconds were not enough. _Shit_-

The impact happened with a large bang. However, Bilbo could not feel his body being crushed. He, instead, flew forward a couple feet, his shoulder hit the rock harshly, and he bounced off. There was a little alcove they rammed into, leaving some breathing, and not-being-crushed, room. The rain was coming down, though nature seemed to calm down after the violent show of the last day.

"FILI!" The blonde dwarf could hardly stand up before the younger brother tackled him to the ground. Kili buried his head firmly into the other dwarf's shoulder as he returned the fierce hug. It took a minute for the two to stand up. Fili ran his hand through Kili's dark tresses. They were both breathing heavily but slowly calming down being back together.

"Are you crying?"

"No! My face is just wet." Kili tugged on one of Fili's braid in agitated response.

"You're alright though?"

"Mmm…"

Fili let out a relieved sigh, pressing his forehead gently to his brother's. "I won't leave you." There was no way he could let it show how scared he was. Kili just continued humming, seemingly stuck on a loss of words. Both refused to loosen their grip until they felt reassured.

Strong arms wrapped around the two young dwarves, and they glimpsed up momentarily. Thorin smiled but his voice was deceptively grim. "If either of you scare me like that again…" Kili laughed and moved to include Thorin in his hug. Fili leaned into the older dwarf's shoulder and felt like a little dwarfling again. Right now, he hardly cared.

The sweet moment would have been appreciated by Bilbo; there was a slight problem though…

"Ah!" _'Help, someone help!'_ After his shoulder jarred into the rock, Bilbo bounced off and rolled a couple feet, not much, yet enough to almost fall of the mountain.

Bilbo clung hard to the edge, fingers more hurt and cramped then when he was trying to do it to stay on the mountain. Now, he was hardly on, and he was going to die. He was sure of it this time.

It only took another second for the rest of the Company to notice his plight. "Bilbo!" Several of them gasped down at them. The hobbit's eyes were wide, and several drops of rain splattered in. He couldn't close them though. That would make him lose sight of his friends and hope of safety. All was good as long as he did not look down.

A couple of the dwarves closest made the attempt to grab his hand. Bilbo tried to move his limb an inch to make it easier- but ended up slipping another foot.

'No, no,_ NO!'_ Bilbo sputtered for air, as it was getting hard to breathe again. Another second passed, this time Thorin came over and slid off the ledge, a firm fist attached to the rock. Bilbo met the leader's icy blue eyes for a split second before Thorin grabbed his collar and heaved him up. Bofur and a couple others were right there to help him up. The reassured pats on the back came with relieved smiles.

All looked good, until Thorin slipped as he tried to get back up. Dwalin grabbed his free hand and with the two dwarves' strength they were able to come back up relatively easily, with huffs of air and tension.

The whole group got to their feet. Dwalin gave a brief look to Bilbo. "Almost lost our burglar," his voice was clipped; no clear exasperation on his part.

"He's been lost ever since he left home. He should never have come. He has no place amongst us." Thorin glared at Bilbo before he walked away.

Each word dug a dagger into Bilbo's, lost, spirit. He looked down. All the other words around him faded into a buzz. He followed the others, disheartened. The numbness did not pass with the rains.

It took only a couple more minutes to find a cave, much to everyone's gratification. Thorin quickly commanded to have the cave checked out and everyone else piled quickly in afterward.

"Right then, let's get a fire going."Gloin took his tinder supplies out, somehow moderately dry through the vicious storm.

"No. No fires. Not in this place." Thorin cast a look and walked to a place to settle. After putting Bofur on the first watch, he demanded everyone else to get some rest. The dwarf prince did not want to stay here long, nor did he feel it appropriate, or safe, to wait in the mountains longer for Gandalf.

Bilbo stared mutely at the ceiling of the cave. The numbness finally vanished. In its place, he felt and heard everything in the small encampment. The rocks underneath him jabbed through his bedroll and into his back. The rhythm of his companions' breathing rung in his ears. Every little thing sucked into his body like a sponge. That was because he felt hollow, and nothing he tried to absorb filled him up.

Once he was sure everyone was asleep he carefully got up. Bilbo made sure he had everything in his bag before he slipped it on his shoulders and attached the elvish blade to his side. He took a deep breath; hands gripped the strap heartily, reaffirming his decision.

He thought he was in the clear, but a voice stopped him at the exit. "Where do you think you're going?" The voice was not harsh, and every bit a friendly familiarity.

Bilbo turned to look back at Bofur. The hobbit forgot he was on watch. "Back to Rivendell," he stated as calmly as possible. That was his plan. Rivendell was closer and then after a rest with the elves he would go home, where he belonged.

"No, you can't turn back now. You're part of the company." Bofur sounded completely shocked and Bilbo's heart sank even further. He wished it was one of the other dwarves had been on watch. Then maybe it would be easier to brush them off and carry out his plan. Bofur had been one the first to be friendly toward him. His throat caught.

"I'm not now, am I? Thorin said so himself, and he was right." He tried to listen to the part of him that told him he was wrong. A series of conflicted emotions bubbled up inside him and he pushed the attempt back. He _would_ leave; he would go home. "I'm not a Took. I'm a Baggins. I never should have left my front door."

"You're homesick; I understand." It sounded like he did, and Bilbo wanted to believe the comfort offered and stay with these dwarves without feeling the constant on and off hollow feeling. It had been there for a while now. Bilbo just realized it.

"No you don't. None of you do. You're dwarves!" The words came out of his mouth like the fast and furious rain of the storm earlier. He scarcely registered the exact words. The built in feelings the hollowness covered simply broke over. "You're used to- to this life, living on the road, not settling in one place, never belonging anyway!" It all sounded reasonable, but the end left a harsh tang on his tongue. It merely took a second to realize it.

"I'm sorry. I-" He felt even more horrible it was warm Bofur he exploded at. Why did he have to be on watch? He gulped and tried to get the words to properly apology without losing his resolve.

"No, you are right." Bofur looked sadly around at the sleeping dwarves. "We don't belong anywhere."

'_I feel horrible!'_ The voice shouted in Bilbo's head. He thought of the miniature Bilbo in his bag that Bifur made. A good portion of the Company had become like friends to him, or at least on the way to be friendly. His heart, stomach, everything clenched in pain. He could try to apologize one more time.

"I wish you all the luck in the world. I really do." Bofur placed his hand comfortably on his shoulder, understandably. Bilbo gulped and looked down.

'_Thank you,'_ he thought. The words bounced around in his head. They would be fine without him. The dwarves will get their home, he won't get in the way, and Bilbo could be content with this. He forced a smile and turned to leave.

"What's that?"

Bilbo was shocked to hear Bofur speak up again. He turned around and noticed the dwarf looking at his waist. Bilbo chanced a stare- his sword was… alight? He slowly, as if through water, reached up to take it out of its sheath. He pulled it out. The glow on the blade was an unbroken blue. Bilbo was worn out he did not even register properly what it signified. A sense of dread slowly seeped up his spine.

"Wake up! Wake UP!" The sleeping dwarves gave a start as Thorin roared. Bilbo's eyes went wide, and he did not notice the floor opening up. The next second the whole Company fell through.

* * *

**A/N:** "Walk like a duck" is an old term I learned as a kid for walking on ice. The wide waddle gives more stability in stance. Also, Thorin going from aw!family to 'dumb Bilbo' mode is a little… eh, but I felt it was important to get both in there.

I have finals next week, so may not get another chapter up right away. After that, I am mostly free for the summer and updates should be more frequent.

As always, reviews are much appreciated and adored.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** Finally, done with this chapter. I wanted to get it up earlier, but this chapter just did not want to agree with me.

There is one small note that should be said before the chapter. I love the "Riddles in the Dark" chapter in the book and the scene is pure gold in the movie. Thus, I have absolutely nothing to add to it. So, I apologize to readers who were looking forward to that scene. Bilbo's pity moment toward Gollum is the ending scene of the chapter, though, if that gives any consolation.

**Chapter Nine**

or _"Rest Not Required"_

The fall did not seem that long. That was what Bilbo had to tell himself, or he would be doomed. Maybe, he would be more doomed trying to tell himself this would not hurt. He closed his eyes; he did not want to see the caverns tumbling by. The shocked yells of his companions echoed in the hobbit's ears. Without a thought of what to do, Bilbo twisted in the air to try to fall upright. However he landed, he did not want to land on his head. To him, that equated to death. A quick one, at least, his brain registered dully.

The landing did come sooner rather than later. Bilbo wanted to turn in the air one more time to avoid landing on his shoulder- he failed to do it on time. So, for the second time that day, his shoulder collided roughly with hard stone. He groaned and blinked his eyes to try to gain focus. It was not the most painless fall, yet it was not the most painful either. Bilbo would much rather not be well acquainted with falls.

There was no time to register the fall however. Most of the dwarves were still shocked into awakening when a hoard of goblins came running toward them. For a gracious gentlehobbit like himself, the creatures were foul to say the least. The Goblins' skin was diseased, and attacked with no lack of ferocity, a lack of morality. Bilbo gasped at his semi-blocked view and after deciding not to stand up he bent down to try to get the sword. The whole enclave they fallen into went into chaos. The Company tried to grab their supplies and weapons. However, with the jerking awakening and onslaught, it was futile.

Bilbo already had placed his little sword at his waist, though he was knocked down before he could grab it. Disorientation ruled his senses as he froze momentarily on the spot. The angry voices of everyone else spurred him to try and get up, but the flow of the bodies moved away and held him to his spot. He stood up blankly. He did not know if he should feel insulted or relieved that he was completely passed over. Bilbo noticed a few of the dwarves cast him a glance despite most being preoccupied as they attempted to escape.

Bilbo felt his hand finally reach his blade and he pulled it out. He had to help his friends. Friends…? _". . .You're part of the Company"_ Bofur's voice drifted back into his mind. He had just been planning to leave. Was he ready to just jump back in the adventure once he was sure he made up his mind to not? Bilbo gulped and adjusted his grip on the hilt. Of' course he was going to help his friends. Not just because there was nothing else for him to do at this point. It was because he set this adventure in his mind, and he did consider the group of dwarves as his friends.

The main problem was that he was sure any rescue attempt from him would fail miserably, especially by himself, highly implausible against a whole colony of Goblins.

That seemed not to be the case even if he had a shot at it. A stray goblin had taken noticed of him and charged. Bilbo swung his blade wildly, eyes widened in fear. He _really_ needed to learn how to use the sword properly. He managed to parry a couple of blows, which was good. The bad news came when he failed to notice how narrow the pathway actually was. Without any further warning, Bilbo tumbled off the path and fell down to the cavernous space below.

* * *

Nori was thoroughly tired of being herded and carted off in his life. The experience he had was enough in his lifetime. It was one of the drawbacks in his line of work. The good news was that he did have experience in escaping these situations. A small difficulty, however, was that he knew for a fact goblins had no honor compared to some guards, like Dwalin for instance. His usual ways of escaping with creatures with lack of honor like these goblins will most likely leave a knife jammed in his back.

That did not stop the wily dwarf from trying. His eyes first scanned the Company to see, yes, most of them were caught. Except Mister Baggins, who Nori thought he last saw before the rest of them were dragged away. Well, he hoped for the best for the little hobbit, however well that will work for him.

He heard Ori give an indignant shout somewhere up ahead, but the other dwarf was completely blocked from his view. Anger prickled inside him like a trapped beast. No one messed with his little brother. He threw his head back to try and head-butt the goblin that was holding him. From the minimal grunt and the tightened grip, he guessed he only managed to hit the shoulder. That would not do. Nori attempted to spot Ori again yet failed. Now that he focused on it, he could feel the scared waves coming off in drones.

The next tactic was to try to pull his arm free, and he kicked back hard on the shins. That mostly worked and was given some relief when the grip finally loosened. He yanked his arm free and rammed his elbow to the goblin's face. After his hand was free Nori reached for the knife he always had hidden away. He cursed under his breath when he failed to find the trusty blade. Their captors were smarter than he thought. They took it away from him. Claw like fingers sunk into his arm and he did his best not to call out. Shit, that hurt.

He was really losing his touch if this was the best attempt he could do. Nori sighed in frustration and kicked a rock to the back of the head of another goblin. At least, that was a little satisfying.

* * *

Kili could not remember the last time he was scared. Well, he did, but he never let fear get to him. It was how he coped, and honestly, there was hardly times where there was need to be terrified. No, the young dwarf was not now. All the settled fears were blocked by a surge of frustration.

The one thing that always proved true was it was impossible to hold Kili still, especially when it was against his will. He stopped abruptly and the goblin directly behind bumped into him. The closeness was the opposite of comfort, yet he took the momentarily surprised goblin to his advantage. He dug his elbow into the creature's gut. Kili had a moment of satisfaction and pulled away with a stomp on his captor's feet for good measure.

The unfortunate side was that he forgot how clustered everybody was. His shoulder jammed with the closest living object- he did not see if it was dwarf or goblin. Kili quickly lost his footing after that and stumbled to the ground. These were the times where he specially hated being a klutz.

Something hit him hard from behind and his head throbbed at the sudden impact. The dark-haired dwarf groaned in pain while more goblins came to pull him back up.

"KILI!" The dwarf in question growled in frustration. Fear finally seeped through his barriers because he will be damned if Fili got hurt trying to protect him. He glanced backward to meet the worried blue eyes. Another goblin grabbed the other dwarf's blonde locks to stop him from advancing. Kili smiled at his brother in reassurance that he was alright. It turned into a grimace as the newly acquired headache asserted itself. Well, that plan failed.

* * *

Bifur tried knocking some teeth out before he was overwhelmed. Did goblins even have any teeth left anyway? They were deprived maniac monsters. This did not bring back any positive memories, in fact, it was just the opposite. The dwarf kicked out and flailed while trying to escape. A hand managed to strike a goblin and pull away prior to being bitten in return. His brain registered that the goblins were communicating with each other, yet he ignored the warning. The next second, a few claws and fists tore at his clothes. Shadows of dark experiences peeked at the edge of his vision. The dwarf would have gone over the deep end but familiar words of comfort came from one of his cousins.

He threw one more punch for good measure but decided to calm down. He felt disappointed now that his head cleared up. He had gotten better over the years, but it could not be helped sometimes. Before his hands were bound again, Bifur gave a quick signal in hopes someone would notice it. Bofur, who was still looking at him, smiled, but his attention was taken away a moment later. Feeling as satisfied as he could be, he growled a few curses under his breath.

They moved to a makeshift bridge in the cavern. They were moving slowly as all the dwarves insisted on putting up a fight, much to the goblin's chagrin. The whole Company was disarmed, so it was fruitless on most cases. It gave some satisfaction though in the knowledge until they got a better chance to escape.

Once on the bridge, Bofur started humming, which caught the goblins, and some of his companions off guard. The cheery dwarf had a sly smile on his face and once the majority was confounded to the sound his shoulder jarred into the nearest goblin and pushed the creature off the bridge. This shocked them even more and the dwarf managed to do one other before a whip sliced into his arm.

Bifur hummed at the success, but he will have to keep an eye on that goblin to make sure it paid for harming his family. Nori and a couple of the others gave Bofur a small nod of approval.

* * *

The moments to their final destination seemed to go on forever. It did cross a few of their minds to stop fighting and save their strength for when they actually had an opening to escape. The Company was of dwarves though, and they were all too stubborn to stop and gather their thoughts.

Eventually, the goblins and their detainees did reach the epicenter of the goblin caverns. An eerie light from the countless torches glowed down on them. If it was possible the burn made the place seem darker- not in the amount of light but from the lack of warmth. When they reached the small space in front of the Great Goblin, the dwarves finally managed to get closer together and close the ranks while the goblins that grabbed them made their report to the throne. A few stood guard around the huddles group.

At the back, Thorin tilted his head in askance toward Dwalin who gave the briefest of nods in return. Both the seasoned warriors' eyes scanned the area for the opening. All they needed was an opening to take their lead. The probability they did that with the absence of major injury seemed low. Patience- the one thing some dwarven warriors lacked but would be practiced now.

A few words were exchanged between some of the dwarves as the checked to see who was alright and who wasn't. Bofur's arm was bleeding and Kili kept clutching his head; Gloin was massaging his shoulder while Balin checked his side for any scratches. Words of comfort spread through the group like warm water, yet everyone turned to glare at the Great Goblin when he addressed them. They all refused to answer; the glare only intensified.

The goblins hoarded in to do more body checks, although the dwarves already had all their weapons confiscated. Oin had his ear trumpet yanked out of his hands, and it was promptly stomped flat. The healer kept his head and to try to distract himself he attempted to locate his healing bag. That was the most important thing to grab once he had the chance. The whole Company would be worn out and injured at this rate by the end of the recent events.

Once the Great Goblin was satisfied that his prisoners were unarmed of their weapons he leered back at them. A dark grin passed his face. "I'll ask nicely once again." The voice was deep with twisted sarcasm. "What are you doing here?" More glares and stubborn looks was the main answer.

"Very well, if we can't make them talk. . ." He paused, for dramatic effect or actually thinking, the captive dwarves decided not to guess. "Start with the youngest!"

Angry shouts erupted forward. Both Dori and Nori shoved their way to the front and pulled Ori protectively behind them. They lashed out at any further attempts to grab their little brother. Nori used an old trick he learned to attack the neck, while Dori almost tossed a goblin off the platform they were on. Beside them, Fili moved to the front and punched the goblin who tried to stop him in the nose. He stepped in front of Kili and found his brother's hand to give a reassuring squeeze. The youngest Durin muttered under his breath, "I'm fine." Fili gave a sharp glance behind him. He could feel Kili shaking behind him.

The Great Goblin seemed amused by the protective displays, but before he could get another order out another voice cut through the air.

"Wait!" Thorin stepped to the front of the group relatively easily, few blocked his way. A murderous look crossed his face. The distraction succeeded as all the focus turned to the dwarf prince. He had not planned to say anything, so he kept the demeaning appearance up in the meantime. As long as he could keep the focus off of any harm coming to his Company.

"Well, well, well." The Great Goblin glowered down at Thorin. Nothing could beat the expression on the exiled royalty's face. He had held his most intimidating and angry glare to somebody who actually deserved it and the large goblin in front of him made the check.

"Look who we have here. Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thror, King Under the Mountain." The Great Goblin gave a mock bow toward him. Thorin really wished he had his sword on him so he could cut off the thing's head. He saw it to his right but diving for it would most likely end with a blade in his own neck.

"But wait a moment. You don't have a mountain, and you're not a king either. That makes you… nobody really."

'_That bastard. . .'_ Now, he felt his hand itch in urge to snatch the blade. Thorin almost completely disregarded the next words being said. No one got away with insulting his pride like that. What was said next was hard to ignore however.

The thought of his sworn enemy still alive would have sent normal people to a sense of dread. The feeling that welled up inside Thorin though at mention of Azog being alive, which he did not fully believe, was a tumbling rage. He really needed to kill something now, preferably this goblin. Thorin felt all the eyes of his company on him, reminding him he could not to anything irrational. He would not allow anybody to suffer from his urge. Holding back took strong willpower, nonetheless he contained it.

Once the Great Goblin dismissed getting answers and instead headed next toward torture, the decision was made to separate the dwarves as much as possible. This was far from a simple task. Bombur successfully managed to tackle down his first captor, though he was overwhelmed once he got back up. Bifur managed to punch the goblin as it raised a ravaged knife toward his cousin. At the other end, Dwalin moved closer to where Thorin was at the front. Balin got his brother's back and blocked anybody from successful efforts to try and stop him. The tattooed dwarf backhanded a few goblins until at least five came to round him off.

Nori and Dori both agreed to sandwich Ori safely between them. The two fought well together while on the same wave length. The young scribe meanwhile had grabbed a few tiny pebbles to throw. Even without the slingshot, his aim was still true enough for worthy distraction. If they were bigger they would have done reasonable damage. After a goblin was finally successfully thrown over by Dori, the silent agreement was made to hold the three brothers close together.

Fili pulled Kili close to his side, which earned a tired and thankful glare from the younger of the two. They both managed to hold off anybody separating them. Kili kicked an approaching goblin in the eye, while Fili helped sustain his brother's balance and trip another goblin. A hand that got past the initial defenses grabbed Kili's dark locks and caused him to cry in pain.

"No!" Fili was obstructed from defending his brother. The moments distraction was enough to pull the two brothers apart. "Kee!"

"I'm fine." The dwarf repeated in the same exhausted tone from the first time. Kili wanted the constant assault on his head to stop.

The backlash stemmed off once the dwarves were quarantined by some distance from each other. There was one, or several, goblins to each dwarf and the Company caught their breath. Desperate and angry glances were shared among the dwarves. They had to wait for another opening once more.

* * *

It was not long before the sound of clanking and rolling torture device, whatever it was, reached their ears. Over half the company had adopted Thorin's murderous look. Ori visibly paled, while Kili kept sending anxious looks toward Fili.

A goblin wondered off to inspect the weapons. It picked up Orcrist and once it recognized the blade, dropped the sword in shock and feat. The Great Goblin took notice as well and fell back into his throne.

"I know that sword! It's the Goblin Cleaver!" The closest goblins also stumbled back from the store of weapons. Thorin felt a strange sense of pride at his sword and took the moment to sock the nearest goblin in the face. That was satisfying.

What happened next was a scramble as they decided not to wait to hold back toward their prisoners. Calls of anger and pain came up from both sides. Whips lashed out at the dwarves as the Company maneuvered as one closer to the stash of now unguarded weapons.

A powerful gust of energy erupted into the area, knocking everyone down and taking the lights out with it. Heads popped up to see the newcomer and the dwarves were filled with hope at the sight of Gandalf. The wizard had sword and staff in hand.

"Take up arms. Fight. Fight!" The rest of the Company did not need to be told twice. They had enough of being captive to the goblins' will. Everyone had grabbed their weapons and supplies they could manage before the goblins snapped out of their stunned states.

Weapons back in hand gave the dwarves a sense of security. Not that they did not know any hand-to-hand or self-defense combat. They trained most extensively, however, with their weapons of choice and losing one was like losing an arm.

So, once they got the extendable limb back, they were vicious creatures to behold. This was not a full out battle, as much as some of the dwarves wanted to get their energy out. The fact was they were vastly outnumbered and not in their environment. The warped caverns were as close as they came to their familiar mountain environment, which did not stop the fact their 'hosts' knew the paths better.

The Company made an escape path rather easily. Gandalf was at the front with clear direction in his step. None of the dwarves questioned how he knew where he was going. There was no time. The quickest way to dispatch any goblins was thrust them off the pathways in one fashion or another. Thorin and Gandalf took direction at the front of the group, and Dwalin took control for the back.

"Left!" Thorin shouted to Ori, who turned on his heel to fire a shot. Since the goblin was flying through the air it landed dazed and stumbled off the ledge. The small dwarf gave a grim smile of satisfaction and ducked to avoid another incoming blow. A knife soared over his head and embedded into the goblin's chest. Ori glanced behind him, and Fili gave a small smile. The blonde dwarf was pushed ahead by Kili on the terms that he was suffocating his brother by not letting him properly defend himself. He still needed to get his restless protective energy out, and Ori was the best choice.

Wherever the whole group crossed any sort of bridge, the last person across would knock it down to avoid further pursuit. The biggest threat of ambush came from above. One goblin almost landed on Oin's back except the healer gave a jolting hit to the creature's gut before it could get a proper hold. The goblin fell back and was pushed off the ledge by Balin. Bombur was not as lucky, he took a bite to the shoulder before he rammed into the wall to make the goblin fall off. The rotund dwarf ached from the constant barrage his body took so far. First against a mountain, then down into the mountain, and now a siege of goblins. There was no reason to enjoy this night. He took his frustration out on thrusting his knives in the next nearest goblin. The ginger-haired dwarf had a look of distance cross his features. He had to make sure to clean his blades properly before preparing the next meal.

There were too major factors that played within each of the dwarves, and the two counteracted each other. The first was pent up irritated energy. With the night everyone was having, first weather, then giants, now goblins, it was good for them to get out and be able to fight back and release that energy. There was no sour feeling, and if it were not the frantic need to escape the Company would quite enjoy this exercise. Bifur did remember the goblin that hurt his family and quickly dispatched it by means of spear in stomach. Dwalin made swift progress with his axes, similarly, Gloin had equal to little trouble.

The second major factor, stemmed from the same sources as the extra energy, was everyone was exhausted. The average sleep time for the night by the dwarves was a little less than an hour. Some did not get any proper sleep at all. And the two factors did not correlate well together. Gandalf was generally unaware of this, and Thorin was stubborn, so the pace for escape was set rather high with the two leading. Not that anybody complained. The common sense factor said the quicker they got out the quicker they could go back to sleep. Then there was the dwarf factor, which put the amount of stubbornness in the dwarves and simply a little extra high-adventure would be good for them.

Despite the two contrasting dynamics, good headway was made relatively quickly. Fatigue burned the dwarves' sides and once they got to the major bridge they were blocked off. The Great Goblin again stood before them. He did now the passage ways better, and no one would escape him this easily.

"What will you do now, wizard?"

Gandalf, who was thrown back momentarily, stepped forward. He never was one to get angry at simple taunts, but he was certainly determined to shut the Great Goblin up. In answer, Gandalf swung Glamdring and sliced open the goblin's gut. There was a muted cheer behind him. The dwarves were too mature and tired to do anything else.

"That will do it." The wizard did another of the blade for good measure. The collapse of the head goblin shook the bridge, and the Company gave a nervous glance down. No time to do anything else, as the next second the whole bridge disconnected and plummeted down. The shock caused throaty screams to erupt. Everyone who was standing hunkered down and grabbed and handhold they could. A bridge was not built to be a sled, and planks flew off and made the surface area smaller and smaller. There was time to cast some glances at Gandalf, to see if he could slow the thing down because this speed was not the safest. The caverns provided the eventual slow; the close walls cupped the bridge-sled and slowed it to a halt before a final short plunge. The group, dazed, stayed in the broken remains while trying to regain breath. On a whole, no one sustained anymore injuries.

"Well, that could have been worse." Bofur chimed up as he started to try and drag himself out between the broken planks.

The Great Goblin fell from above and landed on the mangled bridge. Everyone who had not gotten out from the wreckage, which was all members besides Gandalf, had their breath beaten hard out of them. A few bones may have creaked from the strain of the weight.

"You got to be joking."

* * *

Bilbo had to get out of here, but he begun to lose hope. His newly acquired ring on his finger kept him invisible to be getting caught. However, as far as he knew, he was still solid and the path in front of him was blocked by the creature Gollum. The hobbit did not know if this was even the exit. He took the hunch to follow Gollum to the exit. He knew these tunnels and if he thought Bilbo would escape he would go to the exit. And, Bilbo did see light down the tunnel. What he did not know was if it was a ruse, and if trying to get by risked it.

A shout of voices, familiar voices, came into hearing distance and soon came into view. Bilbo felt relief rush through him and he instinctually raised his hand. His friends were safe! And Gandalf was there too, which a comforting relief filled him at the thought of the wizard joining him right now.

Of' course, Bilbo was remained invisible and the whole Company sprinted past. They were leaving without him! But they were going toward the light- he knew that much, and Gandalf would not lead them further into the mountain or danger. It was the exit.

Bilbo took a few steps forward. Gollum had hid behind the rocks once he heard the group pass, yet he still blocked the way. Bilbo took his little sword in hand and stepped forward. There was nothing else he could do; he could do this. He stepped closer and raised the blade. It would be best to put the creature out of its misery. Bilbo could have been eaten!

He drew the sword back, but right when he gathered all his resolve Gollum turned his head. A shot of fear coursed through him even if he was still safely concealed. Then he saw the desolate sadness in those wide eyes. The resolve in Bilbo faltered. He could not do it. Gollum was despicable and pathetic, yet he could not do it. A welling of pity swelled in his chest. How sad was it, to live in these caves beneath the goblins, alone?

"_True courage is not knowing when to take a life . . . but when to spare one."_ Gandalf's words floated back into his head. And the wizard was right.

Bilbo let out a small breath. No, he could not do it. He took a few steps back for a running start then jumped over Gollum and the rocks. His foot collided with Gollum's face, and the hobbit heard the calls of anger follow after him once he started running after the others. Bilbo did not look back.

* * *

**A/N:** This chapter was a pain to write, but I wanted to get it done with, and I am happy enough to put it up.

A few extra notes to translate my decisions on the chapter: About the youngest, in the movie, it made clear it was speaking of Ori. Yet, both he and Kili are standing right next to each other, so it could be easy without camera focus to assume it was either of them. And Dori, Nori and Fili will make sure anybody who threatens their little brothers die a very, very painful death. Also, I figured it was more realistic for more injuries to occur then in the book or movie. Skilled dwarves or no, largely outnumbered someone will get hurt.

And Bilbo has the ring! I know Tolkien has edited his works and terminology through his lifetime (and more editors correcting it after he passed) and is not the same for all his books. All the words I use are from _The Hobbit_ as they are written there. So the ring will stay as just a ring. Bilbo believes it to be a ring, not _the_ Ring. So, it would be referred to as such since in _The Hobbit_ the One Ring is not acknowledged as a proper noun. I hope that makes sense!

On another note, I'm done with the semester! Chapters should come out quicker. I am planning by midsummer to complete this fanfic. I cannot promise anything though because crazy things can happen, and this can turn out longer than I thought.

Review!


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N:** More time means quicker updates! I hope you enjoy this last chapter of the longest day/night ever arc.

**Disclaimer:** Tolkien created _The Hobbit_, not me. Also, the chapter title was taken from the book, chapter VI. It was just too perfect and I honestly cannot think of another one.

**Chapter Ten**

or _"Out of the frying pan and into the Fire"_

Bilbo ran out of the mountain in a full sprint. His back was killing him, but he had to catch up with his friends. If he caught his breath for a second then chances were he never will be able to. He was relatively quick, and so were they, and he was exhausted, and he assumed so was the Company. That evened everything out and that meant he would have to try harder and hope. Hope they stopped and realized he was gone.

Did any of them care or notice he was gone? He would like to think so. They should. Bilbo may not be an asset in adventuring, but he was good company. Out in the distance, the hobbit spotted shapes moving further down the mountainside, further away from him. He was positive it was the rest of the Company. There would be no difficulty walking that far. Bilbo thought to raise his hand and call out. Two main problems came up once he figured that out. The first, he was too tired to properly call to them. He, at least, had gotten no sleep in what seemed like days. Then the second, the little gold ring on his finger still made him invisible. He could take it off- yet he was paranoid after this night and had no clue if he or the company had pursuers at their tail. Improbable, but he wanted to be in safe grounds when he did take the ring off.

He jumped over a log and landed with a soft _oof_. Really, it was not that soft. He had been dealt some rough treatment being basically tossed around caverns in the last few hours. The good news was that he kept his pace going and not a face plant into the ground. One more painful fall, no, he did not need another.

The shapes in front of him eventually stopped, and they shortly formed into the figures of his friends as he got closer. Gandalf was the easiest to point out with his height. Bilbo did a quick headcount and saw, to his relief, everyone seemed to be there- everyone besides him. Voices could quickly be heard once he slowed his pace down. They were talking about him. The general concern appeared to be of anxiety and confusion. Not sure exactly what caused him to Bilbo stepped behind a tree and waited to show himself. Maybe he wanted to know exactly what they thought of him. The tree was unnecessary while he was invisible, yet the tree gave some extra comfort. He did not know if his shadow would come up or not.

There was Thorin. Of' course he had such low opinion on Bilbo coming. Was it really that bad? Bilbo did not appear that desperate to want to go home- did he? Or, had Thorin overheard his conversation with Bofur when he decided to leave? Oh dear, now that was going to take some time to convince the dwarf differently. Bilbo fiddled with his remaining buttons. He could still choose to go back home. If he did not show himself, the Company would assume he did go back home- or was killed- and go on their way. There was no energy, however, behind the thought of going home. Bilbo had made his decision. He would follow these dwarves to their home.

"No, I'm here." He slipped the ring off his finger and stepped out from behind the tree. He offered a smile, which was not the best, he would admit. Shocked exclamations went out through the Company, and it was a happy shock. They were pleased to see him.

"Bilbo Baggins, I never been so happy to see anyone in my life." Bilbo bowed his head at Gandalf's words. He felt honored, however Gandalf did have a very long life and probably just forgot the last time he was so happy to see someone.

The next thing after the shock died down was how he had escaped on his own. A small nervous chuckle left his lips, and the ring slipped in his pocket. He fingered the golden surface lightly. No! He did not have to explain his new found- what? Treasure? Whatever it was deemed, Bilbo did not feel obliged to tell right now. He was relieved when Gandalf agreed.

_Why did he come back?_ Bilbo had several thoughts and reasons bouncing around in his head. He knew why, clearly, he did. Otherwise, he would not have stepped out from behind the tree and greet his friends. No, he needed to put it as plain as possible for it to be good enough for Thorin. Unlike the usual scorn, the dwarf prince's voice sounded more of wonderment and shock when he asked. Bilbo could give an answer, and maybe the scorn would not have to come back.

"Look, I know you doubt me. I know you always have. I miss Bag End- I miss my books, and my armchair and garden. That's where I belong; that's home. And that's why I came back. You don't have one- a home. It was taken from you, but I will help you get it back if I can."

Well, that turned out sounding more confident than he thought. Bilbo had spoken from his heart, but he was not sure if the words were spoken strong enough. Thorin looked down, and the hobbit could not tell what the regal dwarf was thinking. Nonetheless, it was the first look he saw on him that was a submission from that stubborn ego. Bilbo looked around at the Company. Most of them had lost and solemn faces. He did not want that. His point was not to make the move solemn. They were all alive after a night like that. There was plenty of cause to be happy and relieved. His point had simply been to make Thorin listen to him.

Then there was Gandalf and his smile. It was not the mysterious 'I know more than you' smile that drove the hobbit insane. The smile was- pleased? That put some comfort padding back on him. If the wise wizard thought he said the right thing then he could be content by that.

Bilbo thought, maybe, possibly, that they could relax now. Nope.

Howls echoed through the air, and anybody who had relaxed gave a small start. That was nobody at this point; it had been a long night. It looked like it was going to get a lot longer.

"Out of the frying pan. . ."

"And into the fire," Gandalf finished Thorin's sentence. "Run. Run!"

Bilbo did not want to run. He had just sprinted down here and he was exhausted with no sleep. All the dwarves were the same way, yet everybody ran. Sore sides and bodies were better than being eaten alive.

So, Bilbo ran. He had basically pledged himself to these dwarves claiming their home, but he did not check to see if they followed. They knew how to take care of themselves better. All the same, Bilbo heard the, frantic, steps and paces around him and knew everyone was getting out of there as soon as possible.

His side hurt. Bilbo did not think it was as bad as the first time the Company ran away from Orcs and Wargs. The last time, however, he had been more up to it. This time he had recently rammed his shoulder into a mountain, fallen into Goblin territory in the mountain, and then fell under that deeper into the mountain. Bilbo did not need to worry about his side. His back was enough to worry about.

The best course of action in events like this was not to think. The best course of action was to do what Gandalf said. Bilbo ran as fast as his hobbit feet could take him. Apparently, that was not good enough. Out of nowhere, though just taking a long leap, a giant warg landed in front of him. Bilbo had enough room to stop and not run straight into the thing's jaws. He also had time to take out his sword and hold it out in front of him defensively. This worked well enough; Bilbo was cornered against the tree, his back hitting it roughly. Ouch, he was going to turn into an old man after this.

He would not be lunch meat though. The sword sank deeply into the creature's muzzle and killed it. The body quickly became limp. Around him, more members of the Company ran past and attacked any too close advancers. Bilbo thought he heard Gandalf shout something else, another command. It was something about trees. The hobbit's first concern though was to pull out his sword. He would need it if he was going to be cornered again. He marched forward and grabbed the hilt firmly. The metal was stony to the touch, and though he could barely tell, the blade had already begun to glow blue. Bilbo took a deep breath and pulled- nothing.

The dwarves had made a beeline toward the trees. It was the best course of action. From the cliff they were on and exhaustion caused the high branches to be the safest refuge. Adrenaline pumped through them and helped the climb. They did not have the ease Gandalf did with height limitations; the lowest branches were quite high. What they did have were the numbers, and pairs quickly helped each other up. One would help the other by means of tossing, pushing or whatever other means necessary to get the first dwarf up the tree. Once that was accomplished, the dwarf in the tree will help pull the second dwarf up. Within a minute, all the dwarves were up the trees.

Bilbo finally managed to pull the little sword out. He looked around to see everyone, gone? He quickly looked around with the pounding of paws impeding an inevitable ambush. The fear pulsed in his brain and limbs, yet beyond that chaos he heard the rustle of the branches above him- there was hardly much wind- and voices of his friends for him to get up a tree.

The hobbit ran to the nearest tree and jumped up. He missed the branch by a couple feet, but had solid hold on the trunk. Before he lost his grip, Bilbo climbed the extra feet in fluid motion. All the trees he had climbed as a youth gave their experience. Good thing to, for the next second, the ground below them was surrounded. Relieved voices from above him murmured how glad they were Bilbo got up. He could not tell who from the voice, and branches concealed most of their forms.

The rest of the orc party had made their way down the mountain after their steads. The one at the head looked like he should be familiar, and the sudden angry waves from Thorin confirmed his suspicion.

* * *

Thorin had never been so gratified to be in a tree in his life. That was for elves. If he hated anything more than elves it would be orcs. Then there was that one. The dwarf prince suddenly felt a chill grip his body, almost immediately replaced by a red boiling anger. The sensation gave him a headache. A bigger headache built in once the truth registered. That bastard of a goblin had told the truth. Damn it. His fingers hurt from the sudden cling to the trunk before him. Not good enough, the pain did not suffice his headache.

"Azog." Thorin was beyond a simple anger. He was beyond a furious rage. Both emotions fueled him with a pang of disbelief, regret and guilt. He thought of his grandfather, his father and his brother. The grip on the tree tightened, more pain; nope, still not good enough.

The Pale Orc was speaking to him. That much was clear to Thorin, and he was happy to say he had no clue on what was being said. The foul language just rang in his ears. Whatever it was, it was not anything pleasant.

His grip loosened; his hand was cramped. Thorin had so many memories pass through all it became was a whirl of raw emotions. His mask collapsed in defeat. He did not want to handle this.

"It cannot be."

He would not fail at this. Thorin had to be patient, and he may not even get his chance today. All he knew was that that orc would _finally_ be dead, soon.

* * *

Bilbo hugged the tree; the sign of his nerves showed in his sweaty hands. He should not be that worried, should he? The wargs could not climb, right? He had the small elvish blade at his belt and his hand went toward it in an apprehensive gesture. The next second the tree shook violently. Yes, they could, perfect, absolutely splendid. Instead of grabbing the sword, he clung to the tree once more. Branches snapped below him, and the jaws were too close for his liking.

He wanted to climb higher and higher. Bilbo wanted to go as high as he could. The tree swayed dangerously. It was not the wisest idea. He would slip right to his death. Even if he did make it to the higher branches they were slimmer and would not be able to take his weight. The best thing was to wait until the pursuers gave up. Highly improbable, there were no caves or elves to save them. Only thing to save them were the high trees, and they were strained in doing so.

Bilbo thought the trees were doing well. That was until he heard a large creaking from below him, from his tree! Eyes closed and shaky breaths came from his body. Oh, no, no, no. The tree will hold. It had to hold. The creaking steadily grew louder, the swaying rapidly more dangerous. And the hungry eyes did not stop trying to get up the trees.

"Jump!" One of the dwarves above him screamed. To the hobbit, this was a horrible idea and then they started a descent. It was all slow motion; like he was in water. The next tree loomed before him and he was going to crash. Bilbo was tired of crashing. He closed his eyes once more and leaped. The landing was sturdy, all things considered. The branches of the two trees entangled in with each other. A soft sigh escaped him. This was good. A new true set in, which was the tree already had dwarves in it and had been assaulted itself, started to fall under the new stress. Oh, shit, no! Bilbo made the jump again, and again after that. Compared to the first jump, the ones following happened too swiftly to register. The only thing that measured to it was his own rapid breathing. His final tree, it was his because it had saved him, held firmly. The tree would have to; it was the last one before the cliff.

The orcs seemed to take a sick enjoyment at it all. The dwarves, hobbit and wizard tried to catch their breath. Never let it be said again that dwarves did not appreciate trees. The lone hobbit shook silently in his spot. His mind went blank. Bilbo did not want to register how all the things were going wrong in the last several hours. Nothing could get worse after this, nothing! Everything that happened in relatively short period of time; little will compare to these events on top of each other. How he could hope.

The wizard, though, took to the events with less worry. Gandalf lived a long life, and he had experience to make him unflappable. There were ways to get out of this. He did not have the time to explain it to his companions. Instead, he just went with it. They would catch on soon enough. Gandalf found a pinecone that would do. With the pinecone in hand, he lit it on fire before he threw it down to their adversaries.

Since he was the highest up, all the Company looked up in surprise as the fiery pinecone flew past. Gandalf picked another pinecone and set the new projectile on fire.

"Fili." The blonde dwarf glanced up and caught the pinecone. Bilbo, catching on after the initial shock, caught on and grabbed another pinecone. There was no thought on how he could burn his hands or not burn his hands. He held it up to the young dwarf, and the pinecone, with some help, caught its own blaze. Bilbo stood, as securely as he could on the branch, and threw it down. It whizzed pass the other dwarves, who by now had been tossed their own flaming projectiles and were helping each other set fire to as many pinecones as possible.

Little time passed when a bombardment of pinecones hit against the ground, wargs noses, and whatever other targets the Company could hit. No one thought about how they would get down the tree once the whole forest was on fire. This was Gandalf's doing, and they had faith the wizard knew what he was doing.

Sparks floated up to the sky. The darkness that had covered the area was alight in the blaze. Undergrowth was quickest to feed the fire and make it grow. The wargs and few orcs that had wondered to close to the tree backed off. None of them left and glares were sent up the tree. The Company took this stalemate as a victory. Before the flames could reach up their tree, the fire would drive out anyone on the ground.

A loud shudder and creak spiked up the tree. The cheering dwarves all let out a gasp and adhered once more to the branches. Several of them paled, including the hobbit with them. A few anxious glanced looked behind them to the cliff. It would be a very long drop if they fell. Screams came out once it became clear, yes, this tree was falling too. Bilbo moved closer to the trunk and hung on. There was little more he could do at this point. He was going to die. It was the countless number of times he told himself that, but this time he was sure. The creak subsided to a subtle sound. It held on to the cliff. His heart pounding, he opened his eyes, and did not know he even closed them. Why was he not falling? He looked around, they were all safe and in the tree. Safe may not have been the best word. Bilbo was close to the trunk and his branch was strong. Several of the dwarves were on weaker branches, branches, which started to give way.

Dori felt the branch he was on give before it did. He called out desperately to Gandalf, who offered his staff with hardly a second to spare. The older dwarf felt he had a good grip; he could not say the same of Ori. "Hold on Ori!" He did not think it would be worth it if his baby brother could not hold on. He felt the desperate arms around his ankles, and Dori tried to maneuver the best he could to make the hold easy on him. He was going to kill Nori for obligating them to this quest!

Bilbo looked to the two brothers and felt for them. He did not want to see them fall. They could all hang on. Wait, no, they would all most likely be killed in a few minutes now that the tree had left them open to orcs and hungry wargs. Yes, he was still sure he was about to die.

A movement close by him caused the hobbit to look up. Thorin was on the trunk and he had managed to stand up. Bilbo never saw such a grim and determined, yet seething, look on the dwarf's face. Which was saying something, Thorin always looked like that to him.

Was that dwarf seriously considering what Bilbo thought he was considering?

The dwarf prince moved forward. Yes, the hobbit realized, he was.

* * *

Thorin knew he should not have been pleased with this opening. A little voice in his head pointedly stated that. He was insane. The voice sounded familiar, yet it was tiny. The raging emotions in his body had taken over, located beneath the surface, his mask back on.

Flames licked at the ground beside him, a few close enough to leave burns if he made one step array. Nothing like the burning forest registered for him. All he could record in his mind was the disgusting smirk on Azog's face. That needed to disappear soon; this monster needed to disappear soon.

Somewhere along the line, he broke into a run and Orcrist was drawn to his side, his oaken branch again at his side. The dragon was still far away, out of sight. That would have to wait. His main enemy was right here in front of him. He would avenge his family.

Thorin felt his body and mind disconnect from each other and his emotions. He acted only on emotionally charged instincts. The result was a fiercely experienced warrior, only connected to the necessities of battle.

His nemesis lunged at him, and Thorin raised his sword. He was ready to strike-

-then the wind got knocked out of him. It was more than that, but he could not let his brain think that way. If he had not been wearing his armor he would be in a much worse spot. No, he could not let his brain think that. What Thorin did register was simply he was disarmed, not good.

* * *

Bilbo watched Thorin charge with awe and dread. He could not be serious. Bilbo stumbled up onto the trunk, at a loss what to do. He felt cold. That stubborn dwarf could not do this fight himself. Forget the fact he knew the dwarf survived a similar battle before. This time Azog was on a mount. He _cannot_ be serious.

A numb shock went threw him when he saw Thorin knocked down. So, he was incredibly stubborn and proud, yet Bilbo knew Thorin was a good leader and warrior. The dwarf could not die now. He deserved to at least see his home again.

Bilbo was idly aware that his hand had gone to the hilt of his blade while he watched the scene on fold. The steel felt cold beneath his fingers. He also vaguely registered with a sinking dread that the other dwarves were trying to get in a position to help, but their branches would not hold them. Dwalin had his support snap trying to pull himself up. The tall dwarf swore angrily and grabbed the next nearest branch before he fell.

His heart did not deserve this stress, Bilbo decided. The beat rung in his ears painfully. This day had been too long. It was not going to end like this. It was not.

He was running full speed. There was no time for his mind to figure out this was a very deadly idea. He just knew he could not stand still and not help. No, it was not the smartest move but a brave one.

Bilbo tackled the orc to the ground and moved to stab the thing in the chest. He heard Azog's angry growls a few yards ways away. He was going to be dead in a few minutes; he was aware of that. The realization dawned on him and cleared away any impeding fear. Bilbo would take care of this foe before he went down.

Once the task was done, he stumbled up and moved in front of Thorin. He scratched the prior thought, which determined he was not afraid. He was terrified. Bilbo swung his sword to try to look intimidating to the very furious and deadly orc. He probably just looked stupid. The leering smirk directed at him confirmed that. The fire remained lit and showed no little pathways. Unless he was thrown into it, Bilbo failed to see how it would defeat him. He made his decision. He would not look for any escape route.

Shouts of defiance suddenly sung to his ears. The next thing he knew, Dwalin, Fili and Kili came into his line of vision and started to attack at the advancing wargs. Bilbo felt his knees go weak in relief. The others managed to find a way out of the tree. They may all survive this.

Determination sunk back into his veins. Bilbo stepped forward and raised his sword. He struck out with unskilled blows. The blows were strong enough, though, to cause some damage. The wargs were heartier than the boar, and his arms felt like noodles while they hit against the solid flanks. His arms were not bitten off, and he was left to no more injuries. That should count for something.

Hearing was the dominant sense for the night. The next noise he heard was a piercing screech, which cut through the air. What? There was nobody here that he knew of that could make that noise, unless someone was severely hurt. Bilbo paled.

Talons appeared out of the sky, through the flames, and started plucking wargs and orcs off the cliff. Bilbo blinked through the smoke. Eagles? There were eagles? He tucked into a safer position, though it appeared that the great flying birds only targeted the wargs and orcs. He let out a breath, his sword finding its way back into the sheath. He did not know why they were helping. They were nonetheless, and it was a lifesaver.

Bilbo soon deducted that the other dwarves were being taken off too, including an unconscious Thorin. He felt unease settle in his bones. An eagle loomed closer and closer to him. He raised his hands in protest. What would that do? He had no idea. What he did know was that he did not want to take a trip through the air.

He was smoothly taken up in the large talons. The razor sharp edge did not cut into his body like he expected. He was wrapped in the talons like an embrace. Prior to this settling in, he was dropped clear off the cliff. Wind made his hair fly in all directions and wiped at his clothes. He was falling. Again!

He landed on soft feathers, a landing that came sooner than he expected. The hobbit sat up to see that he was on one of the eagles. It was not trying to continuously drop him. Relief, true relief, finally seeped over his body. This was Gandalf's plan. It had to be. He loved having the wizard on the quest.

The eagle he was on gained altitude, and Bilbo was able to see everyone else safely on eagles. They were either solo, like him, or in pairs. He looked around and spotted that Thorin too was also safe in another eagle's talons. Safe? No, he could not be sure. Thorin was still unconscious. He had to be, or he would shout complaints on being carried like that by an eagle. The eagle did have a firm grip, and Bilbo let himself calm down slightly.

The sun fully came up by this time. Bilbo could not remember the last time he truly seen the sun. He had seen daylight when he escaped from Gollum and followed his friends. Before that, there was bad weather in the mountains, a major understatement, and it must have been days since he saw the sun. The landscape was stunning in its warm rays. Bilbo thought he will enjoy it more if he was not so exhausted. The sight was certainly one he remembered in the years to come.

A few minutes later, the eagles dropped them off. The Carrack was high up, and not easily accessible, but Bilbo spotted steps that would lead the Company down once they were ready. Personally, he wanted to sleep first.

He slipped off the golden mount and patted the bird's head in thanks. There was nothing else he could think of to do to express it. He felt worn down and beaten, and his back decided it was now time to tell him it was still in pain.

What caught his attention was Thorin as he suddenly came to. If it was by Gandalf's hand or Thorin's own will, Bilbo was unsure.

"The Halfling?"

He asked about him first? Why?

A couple of the dwarves came over to help the injured dwarf to his feet. Once he was steady on his feet, he shrugged them off. Thorin then took a step closer to Bilbo, glaring at him. For one time, Bilbo could not call it a straight glare. It just looked intense.

"You- what do you think you were doing? You nearly got yourself killed."

Oh, that's why. Bilbo had thought the dwarf prince was already unconscious when he moved in to protect Thorin.

"Did I not say you would be a burden? That you have no place amongst us?"

'Hey!' Bilbo thought indigently. 'I just _saved_ your _life_.'

"I have never been so wrong, in all my life." Next thing Bilbo knew, Thorin hugged him

Oh. That was not what he had been expecting. Thorin was heavily closed off dwarf and he hardly showed much affection openly. Bilbo never thought he would do a hug in thanks, let alone to him. It was nice to be in a firm hug like that, and he subconsciously hugged the dwarf back. He heard quiet cheers of the other dwarves around them

"I am sorry I doubted you." Bilbo blinked. Now, Thorin was smiling. What was going on here?

"No, I would have doubted me to." Bilbo stated. His last speech was resolute. Currently, he was humble. "I am not a hero or even a burglar." He smiled in return. He had decided not even a mere hour ago, it would continue to take forever for Thorin to acknowledge him not as a liability. He now had that acknowledgement and maybe friendship along with it.

The eagles left, flapping their wings in solid beats. The company started to deflate, and the adrenaline ebbed off.

Thorin, however, had his body go tense in anticipation and disbelief. He walked over to the edge. Striking blue eyes locked on the tall mountain in the distance. So close... he could see it. His trials never felt this rewarding before in a long time.

"Erebor, The Lonely Mountain, the last great dwarven kingdom of Middle Earth." He heard Gandalf coming up and the wizard's words. It sounded clear and through a long tunnel at the same time. Thorin could see it-

"Our home."

* * *

**A/N:** The first movie is wrapped up. Now, onward to the rest of the book! This chapter was easier to write than I first thought. There was a lot of things I liked about it that was in the movie and book, including Gandalf's amazingly awesome fiery pinecones and the most epic hug of all time!

This is ten chapters. That and wrapping up what is in the first movie are both big landmarks for me. Thank you all so much for the favorites, alerts, views and reviews! I would not be able to do this without the support knowing people are actually reading my take on this classic. I could go on forever on my thanks, but I won't.

Next up: some fluffiness and other good stuff as the dwarves, hobbit and wizard deflate after their ordeal. Plus, some advances are made in the Company's bonding. I will leave it at that. The next chapter is already written in my head, so hopefully it will be up promptly.

Thank you again!


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N:** Another quick update! I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Chapter Eleven**

or _"Healing and Bathing"_

Bilbo wanted to sleep; all the dwarves wanted to sleep, and who knew what Gandalf wanted to do. The main problem was the adrenaline that got everybody through the last several hours was still wearing off. Everyone was dead exhausted, yet sleep evaded them. The ones who tried to go to sleep, mainly Bilbo, fidgeted as they tried to get comfortable. In the hobbit's case, his back was killing him, which may be part of it. The rest were generally grumpy and tried to find something to occupy their time.

Oin decided the best thing to do was checkup and treat injuries. He had managed to grab his bag with all his herbs and equipment in it. However, when he looked inside, half of the herbs were gone; a third of what was left completely unusable. There were no major injuries after they had left Rivendell to the point of last night. That lead to the current point, where mostly everyone sustained one injury or another and some were serious. The old dwarf's supplies will continue to run thin. The good news was he did not think it will be hard to find more herbs once they started out again.

The healer's first target was Thorin. Most of the leader's remaining adrenaline was anger fueled, and on top of his already surly personality, made one hard time treating the dwarf prince.

"There is nothing seriously wrong. Check the others first." Thorin crossed his arms stubbornly over his wounded chest. He stuck his chin in the air in the royal condescending way. It would have made most think twice along with the glare that accompanied the look. Oin, though, was not convinced.

"You are not fine. We all saw the hit you took. I am insisting to do you first since you are the most wounded. The healer put down his ear trumpet and put out all the supplies he needed. The good thing was there were enough bandages for everyone's wounds.

The regal dwarf scooted back a couple feet. "Handle the others first, then I will listen."

Oin only shook his head. He acted like he did not hear, which he hardly did because he put his aid down, and started preparing the medicine. The supplies set he sent an even stare at the other dwarf. He did not have the patience at the moment. His plan was rather simple in the thought process. That was to get everyone treated for their injuries, order them to get some rest, and then get some rest himself. All of it should be simple. The stubbornness of tired, frustrated dwarves was unrivaled though. It was going to take a while.

Three more minutes of arguing passed. Finally, Thorin gave in and moved to take off his armor. He winced as he took it off and caused the healer to give a knowing look. He ignored it.

Bilbo watched anxiously as Oin began to treat Thorin. The healer seemed undaunted by the wounds. Major bruising around the ribs, if he heard right, and a few cuts along his chest and face. Bilbo became dizzy at the sight. He learned some healing skills when he was younger. He had never, though, dealt with battle wounds. If he took care of his injuries, or some poor hobbits he happened to know was sick, it was bouts of illness and minor injuries. It was never war scars.

He looked around the camp to see who else was hurt. Fili was massaging Kili's neck gently as the younger dwarf tried to get comfortable; Bofur's arm was bleeding and all the dwarves were moving gingerly, some more than others. Bilbo had no problem thinking how bad his back hurt him. He thought he would wait until he told Oin though, to make sure the others got taken care of. There already was already a time so far where he had a bruised back. He could handle it. He hoped so.

The healer finished the bandages across Thorin's chest. Blue eyes stared at him, uninterested. "Are you done now?" Oin shook his head in exasperation, but then stepped back.

"That should do for now. No stressing your body for the next several days. If we end up in trouble, you are not better off dead or with infection." The dwarf gathered up his supplies and went on to the next patient.

Kili glanced up from his brother's shoulder when Oin came up. "What?" He asked sleepily, but his senses quickly picked back up. "I'm fine." The wince proved otherwise a second later, and the dark-haired dwarf clutched his head. Fili sighed and continued to rub the base of Kili's neck in a calming manner.

"Just relax, Kee. It will only take a minute."

The youngest Durin tried to move away, but Fili grabbed his arm. "No, really. I'm fine." Kili did not know what stopped him from cooperating. It was the constant conditioning he told himself to keep strong, so none of his family had to worry about him.

The dwarf once again tried to escape but was held firm. Before he could push Fili back to take his escape route, the blonde dwarf wrapped his arms across Kili's chest. He squirmed around for a few moments, ignoring the pain in his head. He pushed him back without avail. Yes, it was impossible to hold Kili still when the life did not want to be.

Exhaustion soon took the young dwarf again. He sighed and leaned back in annoyance. "Why are you against me Fee?"

"Because you need this and then you can rest."

"Don't wanna." Kili finally stilled though and gave a small huff. He fidgeted while Oin checked his head and complained under his breath. Fili kept a firm grip on his brother until the healer was done.

Next, Oin went over to Bofur, who smirked and pulled his arm away. "No, I don't think so." In response, the dwarf hit him lightly with his battered ear trumpet.

"Enough of stubborn dwarves just stay still." The cheerful dwarf laughed and with a small nod.

Bilbo was staring blankly at his bedroll and wondered how he could get comfortable when Oin came over a few minutes later. The hobbit looked up with a small smile then went back to focusing on his resting place.

"Come, Master Baggins. I know you're hurting." Bilbo shrugged, but the movement sent a jolt of pain through his system.

"Well," He received a hard look before he could finish. The healer did not want to deal with this. "Yes, I suppose I am."

"I know. I have seen how you have walked since you came back to us." Oin motioned for Bilbo to take off his tops, and did not hear the complaints. He helped Bilbo to take off his coat as the hobbit's arms now felt heavier than anything. After that, the hobbit struggled to get his shirt off while the dwarf waited tolerantly.

Bilbo looked out to the sky while the old dwarf looked at his back. He heard a small cluck and exhaled heavily. "It is pretty bad, isn't it?" There was no response. Oin focused on his shoulder first, which received the worst beating. Bilbo tried hard not to flinch and clenched and unclenched his hands repeatedly. Tingles of pain went up his arms and his hands stung. An old hobbit, that was what he was becoming.

Bofur walked over with a fresh bandage on his arm. He grinned and patted Bilbo gently on the knee. "That looks like a right fine injury there."

All he could do was roll his eyes at his blunt friend, "Right."

The dwarf's eyes softened a touch. "Really though, I hope you feel better soon."

"Thank you," Bilbo replied with a shaky smile, "For everything." He meant about yesterday night, where the dwarf understood his want to go home, without judgments. Bilbo wanted to apologize for his harsh words, but he did not know how. Especially since most of the other dwarves were in hearing distance.

Bofur waved his hand dismissively and understanding graced his eyes.

* * *

The dwarves soon had super that Bombur made. No one questioned where the food came from, and Gandalf had the mysterious smile back on his face.

Bilbo, once he heard the word food, decided sleep could wait. He agreed that no matter how tired he was, without food, he would not get any sleep. The weary traveler looked around for a place to sit, a plate of food in hand, and stopped.

On the other side of camp, Thorin fell asleep with both Fili and Kili hung on to the oldest prince's side. Kili had his head resting on Thorin's shoulder, while his hand grasped lightly at the dwarf's braid. Fili had one arm wrapped around Thorin and his other hand on his brother's arm. Bilbo stared for a few seconds. All the rest of the Company seemed to notice, but they only smiled and continued to their business.

Bilbo knew the three dwarves were related; though, he never saw Thorin give much affection to the two beyond the angry anxious concerns every time he thought they did something stupid. The sight warmed him a little.

The barely noticeable sound of a quill caught his attention beside him. Bilbo looked down and saw Ori sketching the scene in his journal. The young dwarf looked up at him and smiled. "This is the second time I tried to get this," he explained softly.

"Oh?"

The artist nodded solemnly. "Several years ago, I was returning one of Fili's books and they all were asleep in their sitting room when I came over. I tried, yet Thorin woke up and glared at me for considering it."

Bilbo raised his eyebrows in surprise. He thought of maybe telling the artist that Thorin was probably awake presently. Now that he thought about it the dwarf could hardly be asleep while sitting up, two young dwarves attached to his sides. However, Thorin looked unconcerned on things going on in camp, and for all intents and purposes, seemed fast asleep.

There was little to do after food was served. Bilbo glanced at his sleeping place one more time. His back felt slightly better, but he knew it would be several days until he felt comfortable again. That did not matter for the night though; he was too exhausted to bother and fell asleep within a few minutes.

* * *

The next day came and went. Gandalf said he had plans, but told no one what they were. There were murmurings on what the wizard was planning. No one questioned him. The majority of the Company was spending the time recuperating and being nosy took too much effort. Everyone took different approaches to how they will settle after the long ordeal.

If it was Bofur, Fili and Kili then that meant games and other dwarvish entertainment. Bilbo did not know what exactly the three did to amuse themselves, but the laughter echoed throughout the day. Kili was indicating something with his hand and tried repeatedly to get his way. The lower than normal energy level of the young dwarf dampened his chances and he stalked gloomily away a second later. The hobbit also noticed Bombur and Nori likely placed bets on the outcomes and kept to the group with mild and concerned amusement. He wanted to ask what exactly they were doing, but something stopped him. He really did not need to know what the rowdy dwarves did.

He and Ori had taken out a few of their books. Mostly, the young dwarf's since Bilbo brought little entertainment with him on the trip. Bilbo was able to see more of Ori's journal, after soft pestering. Of' course Bilbo wanted to see the work the quiet dwarf had done to this point. So far, he had been adamant not to show any until he was ready. There were several different sketches in the book, at least one for each member of the Company, including him. Bilbo stared at himself for a moment and that made the other dwarf nervous.

"I hope you like it."

"No, do not worry about it. I like it." Truthfully, the hobbit was flattered on how the dwarves bothered to represent him.

Bifur hummed under his breath and spent his time on a few more carvings. When Bilbo walked over in curiosity, the gruff dwarf looked up. He started talking, yet Bilbo had a hard time trying to understand.

"Uh, can you talk more slowly?" He knew that it would not help, but it was the best he could come up with. He did want to know the dwarf more; the language barrier just made it hard. Bifur paused and then motioned to his carving. A quick glance showed it was a pony. This did not help the hobbit anymore. The dwarf continued and made a few more skillful marks on the wooden pony. Bilbo just shook his head sadly.

Bofur soon took notice of the communication attempts and walked over. He cocked his head to the side to listen to his cousin and gave a small nod. Then he turned to Bilbo.

"He wants to finish that carving he gave you. He never got it done to his satisfaction, but wanted to give it to you as soon as possible."

Bilbo thought of the small miniature figure of himself in his bag. He looked at it frequently in awe and thought it was extremely well done. His first reaction was to say this and tell him not to worry about it. At the same time, he thought that may insult the other dwarf to refuse. So he nodded and slowly took the mini-Bilbo out of his bag. Bifur hummed and took it gently. With a studious look to Bilbo, the dwarf gave a firm nod and walked off.

* * *

By the time the dwarves settled for camp that night, everything had gotten back to normal. The Company was still beaten down and injured but generally in high spirits. The lone hobbit looked forward to a night of further relaxation and also the recuperation of his poor back.

The first sign Bilbo should be concerned on how the night was going was when two young dwarves cornered him after he ate his meal. Kili grabbed his arm tightly, and Fili looked like he was trying hard not to smile. He gave a nervous chuckle at their antics yet could not figure out why. The two of them started to lead him across camp.

"What are we doing?" He managed to ask when he found his voice.

"Uncle wants to talk to you." Kili replied easily, and as if sensing Bilbo's response, tightened his grip some more. It was not painful, and the hobbit found more reason to be concerned over what was said.

"Don't worry about it. He just wants to apologize." Fili continued from his other side. The fair-haired dwarf smiled reassuringly, though it failed to lighten his spirits.

Bilbo did not know why he was so nervous at the prospect. He thought that he and Thorin were on even terms now. Their leader had made it clear on his apology. Yet, since then, he did not share any words with the eldest dwarf prince. He was nervous to ruin the tentative understanding between them.

Before he could stop them, Kili pushed him down in front of Thorin, who was alone. Bilbo turned to glare at the young dwarves but they simply bowed their heads and left.

"How do you think it is going to go?" Fili asked.

Kili grinned in response. "I think it will go well. There's no reason for it not to. They already worked past the hardest part, right?" The hyper dwarf put some bounce in his step but stopped and clutched his head a second later. "Ouch."

Fili shook his head and directed him back to where they were sleeping. "Come on, you need some more rest."

"No! Not sleepy!"

* * *

Thorin looked at Bilbo with a slight quizzical expression. The hobbit cleared his throat after a second pause.

"Um, so, you wanted to talk to me?"

Thorin grinned, "Maybe."

Bilbo crossed his arms stubbornly. "Well, I- go ahead. I don't have anything to say."

The regal dwarf shrugged. "I am sorry. It is not often I am proven wrong on my assumptions."

He huffed in response and narrowed his eyes. "Maybe you are proven wrong often, you just don't like to admit it. That sounds more accurate."

"I strongly disagree, Halfling."

Bilbo did not take the jab. "I am sure of it, Master Dwarf. You are way too stubborn to be right that many times and stubborn enough not to admit you are wrong."

Thorin made a face that resembled an amused expression, although accompanied by a scowl. Bilbo thought maybe for a second he had pushed it. He did want to get along with the intolerable dwarf, and he had recently decided not to ruin any progress. His worries were uncalled for. Thorin raised his hand in admission, an unreadable expression in his eyes.

"Fair enough."

"You can do more than that!" Bilbo snorted in exasperation.

"I already did more than that, Mister Baggins. I did after you saved my life." Bilbo thought back to the hug and gave in. His dwarf companion was right. If he was not, he was still too stubborn to admit otherwise.

"So, how have you survived this far without the low skill on that blade of yours?" The scorn was absent from Thorin's voice, but Bilbo still took it defensively.

"Well, luck, I suppose, and natural survivor skills beyond that. Besides, I have skilled friends with me." He inferred the best way to make sure this did not go sour was if he complimented the dwarf some.

This appeared to be the way to go. Thorin put on a cocky smile prior to it turning back to a neutral stony look.

"Very well, we will have to take care of that." Bilbo tried to get an answer to what the dwarf meant. Those words sounded ominous to him. He got know answer, however, and was told to leave him alone so the dwarf could think. Somewhat weary on how the conversation went Bilbo left. It could, possibly, be considered a success.

When he got back to his bedroll to settle in, the hobbit was cornered by Fili. The dwarf blocked Bilbo from getting comfortable, which annoyed him.

"How did it go?"

The hobbit smiled crookedly at the persistence of young dwarves. "Fine, I guess."

"That's not a good answer." Before the young heir could elaborate his questioning, a blur of limbs tacked him from behind.

"You need to sleep, Kili." The other dwarf rumbled and shook his head.

"No, not sleepy." Despite his words, the dark-haired dwarf looked like he was using his brother as a giant pillow.

Fili sighed and raised his hand to brush it through Kili's hair. The young dwarf reaffirmed his grip in concern, yet the blonde was careful not to hurt the other dwarf. "You still did not give a good answer," he spoke back to Bilbo.

He put his head in his hands. He wanted to sleep, and to do that he had to get the two dwarves off his spot before they got comfortable. "He thinks I have no skill whatsoever in terms of fighting."

Fili shook his head, but did not say anything.

"What?!" Bilbo said, discouraged. He failed to notice how similar the expressions of the two Durins were. Fili had the same semi-concealed amused expression Thorin had minutes before.

"You really don't, but that's not your fault."

He decided not to defend himself in this field. All the dwarves recognized his durability by now but felt sorry for his lack of warrior prowess. There was no point to try and say otherwise.

Kili mumbled something incoherently. Fili shook his head and put the focus back on his brother. "Come on, it's time to move back over for sleep."

"I can sleep here."

"I think warrior or not, Mister Baggins will have a glare to rival Thorin's if we don't move soon."

* * *

Bilbo woke up in the morning feeling refreshed and a little sore. He did not feel as beaten down as he did yesterday, which was a relief. The rest of the Company seemed in similar spirits, and they picked up camp and continued for the day's trek.

By midday, the group had come across a small stream. Bilbo had thought nothing of it as the group chose to stop for a lunch. His stomach automatically agreed.

One of the dwarves made a comment, Bilbo was not sure who and the next thing he did know was half the dwarves stripped down and entered the water.

"Wh- What are you doing?" The hobbit blinked at his naked companions and looked away.

"What does it look like we are doing?" Gloin was the one to first answer. "We're bathing."

"Oh, yeah, I can guess that." Bilbo said softly. He really did not know what to say. Communal bathing was not normal behavior for Hobbits. Another thing he was uncomfortable with was the flowing water itself. He was not the best swimmer, although from what he could tell, the water only went to right below the ribs for most of his companions.

Gandalf got up beside him, and Bilbo looked over with interest. "Now where are you going?" He was rapidly becoming bristly.

The wizard only chuckled in response. "I am going to find someplace else down the stream." He had no chance of stopping him, as Gandalf was at least twice his height.

A few of the other dwarves had walked over to the edge of the stream and looked in. Kili had taken off his shoes and tested the water with his foot. "The water isn't that cold." The archer tried his other foot and made a face. "Not that cold."

"Do you want to test that out?" Kili looked behind him to glare at his brother.

"Don't-" Fili laughed and pushed the younger dwarf in. Not to be defeated, Kili grabbed the blonde's sleeve and pulled him in after him.

The rest of the Company laughed at the two young dwarfs. Kili's dark mop of hair appeared a second later and he blew some water in the other dwarf's face. "Idiot! I didn't get to take my clothes off yet!" He rubbed his head gingerly and tried to look as menacing as possible.

"At least you had your coat off." Fili growled back. He attempted to rub off the moisture in his coat's fur. He had a sour look on his face but grinned once Kili pushed him playfully.

"Your fault," Kili muttered. The dwarf pulled off his tunic and tossed it idly to the shore.

Bilbo sat down at the edge while he finished his meal. He hoped that not all his companions would get in. Then he would have to explain why he did not want to. They were not bad reasons; they just sounded unqualified under his ears.

Unfortunately for the modest hobbit, every one of the dwarves eventually got in the water. Oin made some substitute soap with some flora and herbs and passed it around. Mostly though, they just used the water to clean off dirt and dried blood. A few called over to Bilbo to join them and the hobbit shook his head.

"No, I think I am good."

"There's no foul. You must be filthy!"

"Thanks Bofur…"

Bilbo finished off his food as slowly as possible. This caught the attention of a couple of the dwarves.

"You never eat that slowly, Bilbo! There is still plenty of room in here."

"The water really is not that deep."

"It's relaxing!"

Bilbo stalked up to the water and got thirteen pairs of eyes staring at him intently. Shifting from foot to foot, he cleared his throat delicately. "No."

The face he made must have earned a couple laughs. He clenched his jaw annoyingly. From the corner of his eye, he spotted Thorin trying to keep a straight face. Bilbo felt a rush go through him and he kicked some water in his direction. "Oh, I know you want to, just laugh will you!" The dwarf prince ducked his head and laughed. The sound of their leader laughing sent more of Company into a fit of giggles.

Bilbo left the shore angrily before any of the Company could decide to pull him in. He sat moodily to the side as some of the younger members of the party decided to start a splashing war. A few spritz of water reached his face, and he brushed the wetness off. The late summer air had little chill, but he still worried some of his friends will get sick, not knowing the healthy immune system of most dwarves. He added the chance of sickness as another reason not to get in the water.

Ten minutes later and some of the dwarves started to get out. Bilbo buried his head in his knees and sighed. He wanted to not register the feeling of grit on his clothes and skin. He was filthy and he did not want to admit it. A noise to his left and he glanced up to see Kili walking by. The dark haired dwarf pushed the hair out of his face, a few more drops of water hit Bilbo's face. Brown eyes stared at him for a brief moment before the dwarf shrugged absently.

"The water really is not that cold." He grumbled. Kili was dragged off by Fili a second later as the other dwarf started to dry off Kili's hair. "Urh, stop that."

"I'm doing it gently,"

A few quick glances around showed the Company helping dry and re-braid each other's hair. The domestic feel made a hum escape Bilbo's lips. All the same, he was still uncomfortable. Either each dwarf had a tunic and no pants, or vice versa. A few were still completely nude.

Gandalf came back soon after, and the hobbit turned his hard gaze toward him, "Well?"

"Dear Bilbo, I had to go to a deeper part of the stream to bathe properly." He looked down at him.

'Oh, so you are bringing height into this, are you?' He shook out the harsh thoughts out and smiled.

Bilbo kept on glancing at the water the next several minutes. The simple pains of his back and all the filth on him made him extremely fidgety. His friends seemed happy and cheerful now, apparently done in their attempts to get the hobbit to clean. It was his choice; they just thought it was a good idea.

Ori jumped when he walked over to show Bilbo something in his journal, and he took a step back. Bilbo did not appear to notice the dwarf.

"All right!" He flapped his arms frustratingly. "I am going to wash up!" The Company stared at the small hobbit as he walked over to the water and took off his clothes. Bilbo took a deep breath and jumped in. It was the simplest way to do it, really.

He shivered and his head popped up almost immediately. Fear bolted through him briefly, yet he was able to stand up. His breathing soon changed back to a normal pace and he stared defiantly at everyone. "What?"

A few chuckles drifted in the air and a couple applauded for the accomplishment. Afterward, no one bothered Bilbo as he washed up. Oin came over and offered him the rest of the soap and he shyly took it. Everyone gave him his privacy, guessing that was what he wanted.

The bathing episode passed and the decision was made to stay here for the rest of the day. The whole period lasted longer than first intended. Bombur soon started on an early dinner and once Bilbo got out, he hurriedly dried and pulled on his clothes to help out. One thing he had no qualms about was food.

* * *

**A/N:** Another chapter out of the way. It did not turn out as fluffy as a thought (I was thinking ultra-fluffy) but maybe that is a good thing. Dwarves are a hardy bunch and ultra-fluff may not always suit for them. I still think it accomplished my goal of giving the Company a break. Also, I decided Thorin must laugh at least once in the next movie.

Bathing is a common little tidbit I noticed in some stories, and hygiene is something they need to do. I believe it was important to not have Bilbo succumb to peer pressure. In the end, his want of cleanliness won over.

Updates have been quick, but for the next chapter I will probably take up to my normal weekly update. I am in the process of figuring out exactly how I want to do the events at Beorn's house. I have a good sense of how I want Mirkwood to go, so after the next chapter or two updates will pick up again.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N:** I am so sorry this is a little late. I could not concentrate on this chapter at all. This chapter is a little short because I am cutting the next two chapters in half.

Also, while I was reading _The Hobbit_, they did actually bathe shortly after the Carrack. It was basically "they bathed in the river and dried in the sun." I giggled so hard. I completely forgot about that and simply put it in the last chapter since it made the most sense.

**Chapter Twelve**

or _"What to do to make a Hobbit Embarrassed"_

Bilbo was still worn out the next morning, a common occurrence for this quest. He did feel refreshed and did not come to a cold like he dreaded. The dwarves were more refreshed and almost back to their rowdy selves. All their wounds were healing nicely and made the hobbit feel slightly envious. His back still hurt, yet he could walk without that constant ache.

Gandalf, well, was a wizard and it was impossible to read how he felt. It was clear though that he was deep in thought. He avoided talk on anything besides simple pleasantries. All of his companions were fine with this; Bilbo, however, felt a little down on it. He had looked forward to talks with Gandalf after a couple weeks of nothing but dwarves for company.

The wizard did make his plans known later in the morning. Everyone stopped to put attention to him once he called it. Thorin seemed confused, and a little irritated. The regal dwarf was impatient to continue. The rest and bathing fiasco stole away more time than he would have liked.

Gandalf simply ignored the hard look directed at him. He smiled, instead, to the rest of the Company. That did not take the seriousness out of his eyes and quickly explained the situation.

"I know of somebody that lives near here. We will be close to his land soon. Now, we are nearly out of supplies, are exhausted, and have no ponies. He is not the most keen toward strangers or large groups, but if we play our cards right we should get good lodging for a day or two." This led to a slew of questions from the dwarves and Bilbo. There was a general consensus of anxiety and concern and no one wanted to go into anything without a broader idea.

"Slow down," Gandalf stated calmly. Truthfully, he was a little annoyed that several of the questions were simply repeated and everyone tried to talk over each other when they were all asking the same thing. He took a breath and continued. "His name is Beorn, and he is a skin-changer, sometimes he takes the form of a bear. He lives a little outside Mirkwood, and we will be there later this afternoon if we keep up the pace. He is a good friend with my fellow wizard Radagast, who you met, but I do not know him well personally. There would be food, though he is not a meat eater-" there was a collective groan from the dwarves "-he does have large beehives and large supply of honey and other foods."

Short mutterings went through the group as they clustered together to discuss. Bilbo squeezed in with his companions and a couple moved to the side to give him room.

"It sounds like a good idea. We need to rest and finish healing from our injuries." Oin stated. The older dwarf had his ear trumpet firmly in his ear. The effectiveness had dimmed considerably since it remained in a squashed flat from the goblins.

"We could use some new ponies, for however long he is willing to lend them. It has been a while since we have had the rest for our feet." Dori spoke from the other end of the mismatched circle they formed. Fili, Kili and Bilbo all decided to remain quiet at this point.

"There is a long path ahead of us with a shortened amount of time; however, the rest would do us well before the next part of the trek. It would be foolish not to take it." Balin was the next to speak up.

Everyone put their attention on Thorin. The Company did want the rest and food, yet all understood gathering the urgency. It was his final decision. There may or may not be arguments if their leader disagreed.

There was no need for the arguments. After a moment, the stony expression on Thorin's face dropped and he nodded. "We will go." He spoke his words to Gandalf, who nodded in consent.

"Very well, I believe you made the right decision. Now, let us move on. We have to move quickly to get there prior to not be counted as rude or intruding guests."

* * *

It was a couple hours later when they had reached their destination. All the plants seemed larger, and there was a subtle buzz sound that resounded in the air.

"That will be his beehives." Gandalf said from the front of the group. Bilbo glanced up and through the hedges, which was hard with his height. He loved honey but not necessarily bees. There was one time as a young hobbit he had a bad experience with bees he did not want to repeat. How big were they? Gandalf made them sound huge, and that did not bode well for him.

The wizard spoke again and caused Bilbo to stop his worrisome thoughts to focus. Gandalf said they should go in as pairs. He also mentioned how it would be very unwise to make the potential host angry. The pairs would help with withholding alarm, and left Gandalf to do the majority of the talking.

The next thing he knew, Bilbo was following the old wizard. He had missed the part where he would be going in first with Gandalf. He shook the shock out of his head. This was a fine arrangement; he looked less threatening than a bunch of dwarves. Plus, he liked to meet new people. The hobbit could not say he was eager, yet he did feel curious.

The two pushed open the gate, and Bilbo realized how large the property was. He caught in the distance a view of the house however far off that was. It looked like a small wooden hall, but as they got closer, it was clear it was quite large. Bilbo did not feel small when he passed by in Men's villages or in Rivendell with the Elves. Now, with large animals and flora around him, and the looming house that could be seen in the distance, he felt small. He took a deep breath and tried to keep pace with Gandalf.

When the pair reached the entrance, a giant man stood there. He did not look surprised to see them and had a couple horses next to them. He laughed, a smile showed through his thick beard, though his gaze was a little weary. "They do not look threatening at all. Who are you, and what is your purpose here?"

Gandalf bowed and Bilbo followed suit. Then Gandalf introduced them and explained their plight. He was careful not to reveal too much, or their numbers, right away. Beorn nodded and a dark look appeared in his eyes once goblins were mentioned. He stopped them with a wave of his hand. "Let us talk inside. There you can tell me this full tale." It seemed, to Bilbo, that Gandalf's plan- whatever the full extent was- appeared to be working for his taller companion smiled and motioned Bilbo to follow him inside.

Bilbo gaped once they entered. There was a rustic feel of an old large log building, with wide beams which helped with support. He had never seen a single hall so vast; Bag End could probably be fit in it repeatedly. A fire pit in the middle of the room emanated light, above, there was a hole in the roof to let smoke drift lazily up into the sky above. There were few furnishings that made the place seem wider, and all the ones in the building were beautifully carved into different animals. Bilbo wanted to compliment on everything. He held his tongue and waited; he did not want to mess any of their chances staying here up.

Instead, he sat down on a pile of rugs and kicked his feet out. Bilbo looked concernedly at the two taller beings in the room. Yes, along with feeling small, he also felt a little useless. There was not a huge sense of dread along with it; he had full faith Gandalf knew what he was doing. Currently, the wizard was calmly finishing explaining their plight. Bilbo shifted. He did not know the full details of his friends against the goblins. His attention had been preoccupied with his own troubles. A hand subconsciously went to the ring in his pocket. He had the strangest urge to put it on yet stopped himself. He had no idea what the two others in the hall will react to him suddenly disappearing from view.

Just then, two more entered the room. Thorin and Dori smiled and bowed and introduced themselves the same way the first time the dwarves came to his doorstep all the weeks ago. Beorn made a small noise in his throat that could be a cross from a laugh and a growl.

"I do not need your service. I would like to finish hearing your story though." He turned back to Gandalf. "You said a couple. I am assuming you meant these two?" There was a glint of mischief in the wizard's eyes, and he did not provide a straight answer.

It was a while later when everyone was in the giant hall. The hobbit watched anxiously while each new pair entered. He was afraid Beorn would kick them all out or worse. The skin-changer seemed more amused than anything else. In the end, he was impressed how Gandalf and the Company pulled off everything. Another hearty laugh echoed in the hall, and Beorn asked his animal friends to help set the dining area. While they did that, their host went to collect some of the food. A couple of the dwarves decided they needed to help in order to show their thanks. They were anxious and slightly intimidated and did not want to set off a wrong foot.

Bilbo looked down at his hands. With the focus on them, he did realize they were dirty. He did wash his hands more thoroughly than anything else when he washed yesterday. However, he used his hands constantly for different purposes. One of those purposes was eating. It was a random thought, yet now that he would eat inside and not out in a camp feel, the dirty hands were blaringly obvious. He sighed and brushed his hands to his trousers, which served no result.

The meal was delicious, filled with hearty grains and honey. Not remembering the last time he had good honey, Bilbo slathered his bread and stuffed it into his mouth; unclean hands forgotten. The dwarves also went on how the food was better than what the Elves offered. Bilbo rolled his eyes but said nothing. He, personally, enjoyed both meals here and at Rivendell. He thought his companions to be prejudice on the elf food.

After they finished the meal, everyone was shown to a spot to sleep. Bilbo looked at the thick blankets with lightened eyes. His bedroll was fine, yes, though he did like the thought of a more comfortable sleeping situation. Everyone picked out their favorite spots and arguments quickly assumed. Not up to the task, Bilbo found one by the wall that no one seemed to bother about. He got under the covers and fidgeted slightly. A content sigh left his lips after he got comfortable.

Sounds beside him alerted him of new company. He peaked out from under the mound after they would not stop. The quick glance showed Bofur settled down in the next one over. The friendly dwarf had the usual smile on his face. "That was easier than I thought." Bilbo did not inquire if he meant being welcomed in this lodging or getting the bed spot he wanted. Alternatively, he nodded and went back under the covers.

"That's nice. Now can you please quiet down?" He did not say it rudely. Rather, he was simply tired, and the words came out a tired plea.

Silence did not fall easily that night. The dwarves eventually settled down and fell into their personal slumbers. Of' course there was the snoring, however Bilbo had gotten used to that by now. He did hear other sounds, a rumbling and grating sound. He did not want to think if it was Beorn in his bear form or something else. He counted to ten and after semi-successfully blocking out the noise he fell into a comfortable sleep.

* * *

Bofur shook Bilbo awake the next morning. The hobbit groaned and tried to dig deeper into the warm blankets.

"Come on, before all the food is gone."

This was the best plan of action. Bilbo shot up, gripping the covers tightly. "Food!" He looked around, eyes narrowed. "Where's the food?"

"Mostly in our stomachs," the dwarf grinned and pointed. "But the rest is there if you want. Beorn isn't back yet but the food was out when we got up." His friend waved and moved back to the table. Bilbo got up and followed him. His stomach growled in the demand of more honey.

Everyone found their thing to do to be productive for the day. Gandalf had disappeared for a short time, yet he told them he would be back in the evening. Bilbo's plan of action was to do laundry.

He did not think of it before. He was still relatively clean after his bathing session; the problem was his clothes were not. The dirty cloth clung to his skin and made him dirty again quicker. The clean feeling he had succeeded in claiming disappeared and he itched at his unclean clothes. After he finished his breakfast he walked off back to the heavy rugs and blankets. He made sure no one had their eyes on him and quickly took off his clothes. Bilbo then covered himself in complicated folds of blanket to cover him up and act as clothes until he was done. He did a quick check to see if he could walk and proceeded to find a wash basin.

The said basin was located easily enough. Also, the animals turned out to be helpful. He could not communicate like Beorn, but they seemed to understand what he was doing and directed him to get some water. Bilbo smiled, and petted the large sheep on the head. He did not know what else to do to thank the kind creature.

The smile on his face disappeared into a frown once he looked at his clothes. This would take some work. He breathed deeply through his nose and started to work.

A half hour went by, and he was almost done, when the dwarves noticed his task. He smiled in his little corner shyly and waved a clean stocking in the air to converse his goal. Bilbo did not know if this was the cause for what happened next, but he hoped not. Suddenly, he had most of his friends asking him to do their clothes for them. He sputtered and gaped, eyes wide. The first culprits, Bofur and Gloin, stared at him blankly back.

"Well?" Gloin asked and wondered if the hobbit misheard them.

Bilbo shook his head and looked down at the murky water. He would need fresh water soon. "Well… I, I was wondering… what would you be wearing while I do it?" That was the main concern for the hobbit. He had no problem otherwise to help his friends out. Really, did they want to do this to him? A modest, respectable hobbit?

"We'll figure it out," Bofur replied. Bilbo could only look down at the floor, embarrassed, as the two dwarves spared him their clothes. He pinched his nose and waited until he heard they were gone. The decision was made in his head not to think of what they did to substitute clothes… or not.

This process went on a few more times, and each time Bilbo would look at the floor. When the flow of dwarves finished, he deduced he had at least half of the Company's clothes piled at his feet. A subtle pain from his back, as in reminding him he still had that injury along with everything else. He slowly stood up from his sitting position and paced to retrieve more water.

Bilbo looked up when he heard someone else come in his little area. He groaned when he saw Thorin and buried his face in his hands. The tall dwarf just stared down at his small friend, unsure if he should be amused or insulted.

Thorin took off his coat and laid it down gently on top of the pile. "Make sure you don't ruin the fur, Master Baggins."

Bilbo looked up to see the dwarf did not take off all his clothes and was already gone back outside. He picked up the coat and ran his hands over the fur. It was a beautifully made piece of clothing. It was, though, like everything else, dirty. The hobbit set a face of steel and got to work.

Thorin had given his coat to Bilbo for a reason. Right now, he had no need for it. When Beorn came back he had asked him if it was all right to set up a temporary forge. The permission was the hardest part. After promising none of them would burn the place down the first part was completed.

It took almost the rest of the morning to finish setting everything up. Satisfied, Thorin checked over the construction to assure nothing was faulty.

He started with the repair of Oin's flattened ear trumpet. He knew the healer would appreciate it and when he asked, the old dwarf thankfully handed it over. His companion went to restock his herb pile alone, so he would not need it. Several came to help as Thorin went from one small project to the next. Fili and Kili stayed the longest, despite his attempts to tell them they should enjoy their day over something else. It was not that he did not want his family's help. He just wanted to work and, more importantly, think alone.

They would have to travel through Mirkwood, most likely. That was the most probable plan right now and he hated it. He despised the thought of the forest, for several reasons. There was little reason to think of that now. Most likely, he would have to address that later today.

* * *

Bifur started to work on a new carved pipe early in the afternoon. He lost the old one somewhere in Goblin Town. Soon, a similar process happened to him that happened to Bilbo. All the dwarves that had lost their pipes came over and requested new ones. Bifur grunted in response, but secretly, he was happy to have the work to do. He hoped everyone liked the designs he picked out.

Shortly into his work, Bofur came over to help. His cousin had grabbed several new pieces of wood to work off of. They split the work evenly and got back to work.

Inside the hall everything was silent. Most of the Company had gone outside or had taken the time to nap. The quiet sound of knife through wood cut through the air. Wood flakes littered the ground and were brushed in the center of the two so they could dispose them later. Bofur hummed a short song under his breath and received a few sharp words next to him. He grinned. It was the same song they both learned when they were young. The older dwarf had taught it to him.

Bilbo had heard the soft music and looked over from his spot. He cleared his throat and looked down at the pile of clothes. They were as clean as they were ever going to get. He pushed the pile forward.

"I'M DONE!" Honestly, Bilbo did not know why he yelled so long. He had never spoken that loudly so far on the journey. His gaze focused on the floor after several of the dwarves came running in to see what he screamed about. Nobody so far had heard Bilbo that loud. No one guessed he could reach a level that high.

It took a few minutes for the dwarves to shuffle and find their clothes. Bilbo played with his remaining buttons silently and kept his gaze down. He had already dressed when he finished his clothes. Each dwarf thanked him graciously and caused him to smile. Bofur came over to hug him, thankfully after all his clothes were back on. Thorin examined his coat and gave an approving nod. The sight relieved Bilbo and made him proud.

Bifur came up to Bilbo and presented the finished carving. Bilbo looked at the mini-me and at seeing the detail, blushed. The whole Company laughed at the sight. Warm laughs to make him blush even more. Yes, these dwarves were doing it on purpose.

* * *

**A/N:** I hope you enjoyed that! Hopefully I have time to work on the next chapter this weekend. It is going to be working on plans before Mirkwood and a couple other things.

I love reviews ^^.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N:** I am glad the abashed and embarrassed Bilbo got some positive feedback. It is rather easy to do to the fellow, poor guy. I also got some inquiries about Beorn's 'little bunny' line. I meant to put it in the last chapter, and it is in this one, so look forward to that. Nothing much else to say, enjoy the chapter.

**Chapter Thirteen**

or _"Chin Up, The Forest is Ahead"_

Once the whole laundry incident, Bilbo decided to take a stroll outside. He felt fairly confident now that he would not run into any nude companions. He surely hoped not. The hobbit shook his head. Most of the time, it was the danger that made him regret he left his home. All the other times, it was the company he was with. The dwarves had no idea how to treat a respectable hobbit. He felt confident how to handle his friends. Bilbo wished they would do the same.

He felt small in the vegetation, but it had been a long time since he had seen plants so tamed yet wild. His gardener side started to itch, and he walked over to the side of the path and bent down toward the flora. He could not identify the plant right away and felt incredibly annoyed. The leaves were a dark green and had a firm stem. His hands gently turned one of the leaves over to examine it better. Maybe he could ask about them later. It was a little intimidating to talk to Beorn, but chances were good enough that Gandalf would know. He made note of the location and what the plant looked like and continued on.

A buzz cut through the air a few minutes later and made him look up worriedly. The thought of honey slipped through his mind. Bilbo also thought about how large the bees were. Every time he thought of their host's bees he imagined them larger and larger every time. Wondering if he should turn around or move on, Bilbo looked around. He did not want, or need, anymore injuries while his back was still healing. As in reminder, a subtle pain went through his physique and told him he did not need stings to make it worse.

Noises came from behind him, causing him to jump. He spun around and spotted Beorn looming above him. Bilbo cleared his throat softly and tried to appear not as small. "The little bunny is exploring." In response, he huffed and crossed his arms firmly.

"My name is Bilbo, and I am a hobbit! Not a bunny."

The large man laughed and patted him on the head. "I would not go any farther. The bees do not take well to unfamiliar faces. I was asked if I saw you to send you back, a few of your friends are looking for you." Bilbo did not get a chance to inquire more about the statements; Beorn already had walked off. He unhurriedly started back in the way he came. Only after he had the large wooden structure in sight did he realize he forgot to ask about the curious plants. O' well, he thought it was better to ask Gandalf anyway.

Once he reached the front door he looked around curiously. He did not know who was looking for him, and he could not see anyone waiting. The thought occurred to him that Beorn may have just sent him back so he would not mess around in the property.

"Halfling," Bilbo turned around to see Thorin standing there. The regal dwarf looked amused at the shock expression on the hobbit's voice.

"What?" He asked, aggravated.

"First off, you should not let anyone sneak up behind you like that." Thorin said casually. He held Orcrist loosely at his side and a smile contrasted with his otherwise grim expression.

"W-Well," He stepped forward to the dwarf. He did not know why he was so offended. The attempt to try to mimic the serious expression failed miserably. "Maybe you are just too paranoid!"

Thorin did not take any of the bait. "That is only a little advice. I do advise that you train with us for the remainder of the afternoon."

"Wait, what?" Bilbo was not sure what he thought of the idea. He _did_ need the training, and the afternoon was almost over. He could handle an hour of training, possibly. Actually, that did seem like a long time to do that, especially with well-trained dwarves. Dwarves who did not know how to work with a tired hobbit.

Thorin did not give a straight answer. Instead, the dwarf gave what he would consider a reassuring smile and guided Bilbo away.

"I really-" Bilbo tried again.

"I am sincerely surprised you stayed alive this long. All of us want you to see your hobbit hole again, Master Baggins. So I suggest you listen for now and hopefully approve your chances." Thorin said evenly. Bilbo mutely nodded.

'This wasn't in the contract!' His mind whirled in circles. Honestly, he had no idea if it was or not. Bilbo had not read the whole thing because, well, it was incredibly long and daunting. It was a good thing they cared enough to help his survival skills.

They eventually made it to a secluded but open area. The ground remained relatively flat, for which the hobbit was grateful. Standing in the center of the clearing was Dwalin and not far off was Fili and Kili. Both young dwarves grinned at Bilbo and he sighed. Why did he suspect this was going to be a very long afternoon?

"Did he agree to this?" The tattooed dwarf asked. His eyes took in Bilbo's anxious face. One that suddenly turned hard.

"No, he did not." He crossed his arms stubbornly. There was a chance he could get out of this. He did not bring his little sword with him. That was when he noticed it sitting in the grass. Great, they bothered to grab it for him. He picked up the blade and frowned. "There is no getting out of this, though, is there?"

"Not really, no." Thorin replied. He had the same absolute stubborn expression Bilbo noticed when the dwarf would take no denials, at all.

"Don't worry Bilbo. Uncle and Dwalin trained us wonderfully." Kili spoke up. The dark haired dwarf had his legs swing from the large log-formed-into-bench he was sitting on.

"You won't hurt too much. They start easy." Fili added his part. Thorin glared at the two dwarves, which accomplished nothing.

"We don't want to leave." Kili pleaded. The eldest Durin decided the best course of action was to act like neither was there. It worked forty percent of the time.

"Ignore them." Thorin showed a spot to the nervous hobbit. Bilbo did not see what the difference was from where he stood before. He kept stock still, not sure what he was supposed to do.

Thorin waved his hand, but did not seem impatient. "Go ahead and get in you defensive stance."

Bilbo gave a slight nod. Trying not to feel self-conscious, he adjusted his stance and held the small elf blade in front of him. He twitched but stayed still while the dwarves examined his position.

"That is all right, yet you are holding the blade wrong." Thorin walked over next to him and adjusted Bilbo's hands. "Does that feel better?"

"…No?" He answered. He had the urge to put his hands back to where they were. Partly to annoy Thorin, partly because it did feel more natural to him. Thorin rolled his eyes, such an unnaturally immature gesture he almost laughed, which would not go over well with the dwarf prince. Thorin went back to Dwalin and the two talked quietly for a moment. Looking around, Bilbo could see both younger dwarves remained where they were. Fili had one arm around his brother's shoulders while Kili looked like he was refraining hard not to say something.

His focus turned to Thorin and Dwalin as they came back over.

"Very well, we decided the best way to do efficient training in a short time is to approve your reflexes and instincts." Dwalin started. He motioned Bilbo to step closer. He did, and in the same state not knowing what else to do, he listened.

"From seeing how you fought before, you are too defense in your attack and flinch in the parry too much. You need to be more solid and sure of your moves."

"Okay," Bilbo stated. How was he supposed to change that? He was terrified.

"To avoid being too strung up, you need to have full awareness of your surroundings. What is Thorin doing right now?"

Taken off guard from the question, and all focus on the tall dwarf, he glanced to the side to see what the other dwarf was doing. Suddenly, a hand hit him lightly on the head. "Ouch."

"That is what I mean. You should be able to tell what he is doing while still having focus on me. Understand?" Dwalin spoke calmly, yet Bilbo felt like an idiot. He gave another nod after brief thought.

"How am I supposed to do that if my eyes are on you?"

"Use your other senses. They will inform you of subtle movements nearby." Yep, Bilbo felt like an idiot.

They worked on his sensing abilities for the next half hour. His two teachers recruited Fili and Kili to help with more distractions. Something the two did well. Within the time, Bilbo felt he was able to pinpoint other movement around him with stronger accuracy. It was not the 'natural' level that Thorin called it, though they both seemed satisfied enough with his progress.

Next, the training exercise went to his reflects. Everyone stressed that he should keep his senses to high alert, and work that with his instincts to not become overwhelmed by his shock or fear.

It started quickly when Thorin swiped out a hand with him. Bilbo flinched back and held up his sword, which was still sheathed.

"It is only a twig."

"How am I supposed to know that?" Bilbo complained. Despite not doing that much physical work, he was tired out from being on high alert for the last thirty minutes.

Thorin rolled his eyes, again, and gave no answer.

Bilbo put effort into it, he really did. It took another forty-five minutes until his movements became less flinch-y and more fluid. He was a very cautious and paranoid person in battle. With the two coaching him how to turn that into a more proactive fighting style, he slowly gained more confidence in his work. He still anticipated being hit. Now, however, he worked to stop the move instead of the 'oh, this is going to hurt' subconscious thought he had. When they were done Bilbo felt exhausted and satisfied.

There was no telling if the dwarves were done with him. A momentary break gave Bilbo the chance to state how hungry he was, bow profusely as thank you, say extra thanks, and sprint back to Beorn's hall to get food before they could stop him.

* * *

Everyone gathered after the meal to discuss the remainder of the journey. Bilbo wanted to go to sleep. He ended up at the end of the long table anyway. Another piece of bread and jam, at least the tenth he had, was in his hand. He nibbled the end while he watched the others talk anxiously.

What had come up relatively quickly was Gandalf said he would not be joining them for the rest of their quest. This saddened Bilbo significantly, and the wizard was confronted with a bunch of frustrated dwarves. They tried to get a good answer as of why out of him but came up with nothing. Gandalf just smiled and explained he had 'other matters' to address. He said the Company should be able to get through Mirkwood fine, and then on it would be less than a month's trek to the Lonely Mountain.

That of' course brought up the next problem. The fact they would have to travel through Mirkwood. None of the dwarves were happy about it, and the more they talked about it, the more worried on the whole deal Bilbo became.

"You will be safe if you stick to the path." Gandalf laid out the plan simply. "If you do that, you should not run into any trouble. The elves in the forest put some protection on the paths." The mention of elves did nothing to soothe the tempers of the dwarves.

Beorn cut in before a rant could be started in that area. "Also you should keep away from the water. One point you would have to cross the river, but be careful not to fall in. I will give you enough water and other provisions to last through the forest, if you use them sparingly." This fact went over the head of some dwarves. Bilbo, for one, did not want to be on an even lighter 'adventure' diet than he already was on.

"I do not want to deal with _anything_ concerning those elves." Thorin's icy glare pierced through Gandalf. His nostrils flared, and he tapped the wooden surface irritably.

"You should not have to concern them if you stay on the paths. They will not mind if you do not waddle. Get through quickly, and do nothing to attract their attention."

Thorin mumbled something like that not being good enough. He did not have a strong comeback at the moment, so he stayed quietly.

"How will be able to go through the forest quickly? We have no mounts." Ori spoke up quietly from his spot near Bilbo.

Beorn had a grim look on his face and gave a slight nod in thought. "I can lend you a few ponies to the very edge of Mirkwood. They will go no farther or under the trees. You will have to send them back as soon as you reach them." There was a threat in his voice. Everyone was able to detect that. Nods and affirmations went around the table as they promised to send the ponies back.

"That does not answer Ori's question. We need to be able to get through quickly." Dori spoke up. The worried dwarf gave a brief indication in his brother's direction. The younger dwarf bowed his head and said no further comment.

"You have to go quickly." Gandalf spoke up again. "Do not get sidetracked by anything, stick to the path, and keep moving throughout most of the day. That is all there is to it. If all goes well it should take a little over a week. I suggest afterward you head toward the settlement of Men at Lake-town. They will help with provisions for the rest of the journey."

The Company accepted the facts after much more disputing. Bilbo stayed quiet and looked down at the floor. This would be a long leg of their journey. He knew it.

* * *

Afterward, the hobbit walked up to Gandalf. The wizard looked down and gave a warm smile.

"Do you really need to go?" Bilbo stuck his hands in his pockets. A quick glance to gauge his expressions proved futile. He had to crane his neck to his friend who looked out to the distant trees.

Gandalf did not look at him at first. "There are things that must be addressed, the sooner the better. Our directions are not that far off from each other. I should be able to meet you at the end of your adventure and accompany you on the journey home."

Bilbo could only stand there. His use of words seemed to fail him. "Do you think I am over half way through the journey then?" He asked. The thought was barely comprehensible. It felt like he was on this adventure forever, and he would continue to be. He felt warm and comfortable when thinking of Bag End.

"Oh, I am not that sure of that." Gandalf responded honestly, "But keep your chin up, Bilbo Baggins. You should have more faith in yourself, especially after this amount of time." He then went back toward Beorn. "I will journey with everyone a short time tomorrow. For now, I bid you goodnight."

* * *

Kili closed his eyes and shifted to try to get comfortable. He heard a soft thud and automatically moved closer to the noise. A hand rested on his shoulder and he muttered sleepily, "What do you want?"

Fili laughed. "Nothing, I want sleep as much as you do." The blonde ran his hands gingerly through his brother's dark hair. "How does your head feel?"

"It's fine. I am fine." He moved away, back to his original position. "Why do you have to worry about me?" Since he was facing away from the other dwarf, the despair in his eyes did not show. Fili noticed the tone anyway and hugged him from behind.

"Because I am older and because you never do it yourself." Kili tried to move away again but shortly gave up.

"Well, you don't _have_ to." He huffed. "I can take care of myself fine."

"Kili-"

"No!" The archer gripped his head in pain. "Urh, never mind, just let me sleep." Fili did not let his grip but did not say anything else. Kili could not block out the warm comfort. He squeezed his eyes shut. 'I can take care of myself fine.'

* * *

Bilbo blinked up at the ceiling. Now with thoughts toward home, he felt more drawn to go back. It was almost as strong as the feeling he wanted to continue this journey. How would he feel once he got home? Would he have the adventure urge again? The hobbit closed his eyes. No, once he was home, he would probably like to stay there.

Right now, he had to live in the moment. Not the past, in his home, or the far future back home, or tomorrow where the dark shadow hung over Mirkwood. Right now, he could focus on rest. He silently found the elvish sword and ran his hand over the hilt. At least he felt semi confident over how he used the blade after this afternoon. Silently though, he hoped they would not offer the training again.

* * *

**A/N:** Mirkwood next. I dreaded it when I first started, but now that I have a decent plan for these next few chapters I am excited. The next chapter should be up soon.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N:** This was one of the first chapters I thought all the way through post-movie wise. It still took a while to actually get the thoughts on the computer. O' well, I hope everyone enjoys.

**Chapter Fourteen**

or _"Hunger Makes the Heart grow Harder"_

The next morning dawned early for Bilbo. He blinked opened his eyes wearily and glared at the dwarf who woke him. "Do we have to get up now?" He did not know why he was so grumpy. He had gotten used to the early dawn mornings. After a day of being able to sleep in, the hobbit sunk back into a routine of full nights of sleep. At least, as Ori pointed out, the faster he got up, the faster he could eat.

Breakfast was a quiet but hearty affair. No one knew when the next proper meal would be. Gandalf reminded them they would have to ration properly for the next couple weeks. Bilbo sighed and looked at all the food laid out on the table. For a short time, he believed he could actually keep up with several meals a day. His laundry fiasco yesterday, and then training, distracted the best chance he had. He patted his stomach sadly. It probably will not be until he was safely back in his hobbit hole when he regained the plumpness and proper meals.

Beorn directed them to the ponies they would borrow. Bilbo smiled as the pony he was assigned bumped his cheek affectionately. A part of him did miss the ponies, and his feet were exhausted after the time trekking on foot. They would only have the mounts for the morning, however. Early afternoon was when Beorn predicted they would reach the edge of Mirkwood. No one seemed to want to mention that fact. The whole atmosphere was unusually silent. Before, there was always a conversation when the Company picked up camp, brief as it sometimes was. Now, everyone seemed lost in their own thoughts. Bilbo was fine with this. He often went that route in the morning himself. It made him a little uneasy though to see the loud dwarves subdued.

They all thanked their host profusely, which received a short laugh in response. "It was certainly an interesting day. Safe travels and remember what I said. The river is dangerous. Unless something happened, there should be a safe spot to cross when it intercepts a path. Some boats, I believe."

They set out a few minutes later. Bilbo hands fingered the reigns and tugged lightly at them. He was in the center of the group, and passing whispers of conversation rose up around him. The words caused him to relax. He thought a ride would fare well with his back. Unfortunately, it was not the case. He must not be riding properly because every other step his pony took a sharp pang went up his spine.

The morning went by slowly. This reflected nothing on the pace set. Bilbo was reminded of the hushed fast paced trek the days before they were chased by Orcs and arrived in Rivendell. He tried not to imagine a similar bad situation cropping up. He drifted over to Gandalf. The wizard had a grim look on his face, which did not improve Bilbo's spirits. He cleared his throat and received a quick glance in return.

"Yes?"

"So, you are leaving us at the edge of the forest?" He hoped somehow his tall friend would have changed his mind since he talked to him last night.

"I am," Gandalf replied. "I will be heading south soon to take care of some business." There was no more elaboration on the wizard's part. Bilbo could only nod in response.

"Well, that is unfortunate." He mumbled to himself.

"Remember, you are doing well. Keep your quick wit about you, and you should make it through fine."

Gandalf went back to his own thoughts, and Bilbo tried to give a reassuring smile. He felt honored that faith was in him. He did not know what exactly had caused the faith, yet it was enough to have some in himself.

The sun was almost to its highest point by the time the ponies slowed down. Ahead of the Company, trees spread out, a singular path cut through them and into the darkness. Bilbo enjoyed forests; he had no problem with trees. The hobbit blamed all the extra caution pushed onto him about Mirkwood. There was no other reason for the weariness he felt. He should have been happy the shade of great trees will stop the scorching sun on his back. Not that the sun had done harm lately. Right now the sky was overcast, giving a dreary feel. Beyond that, summer rapidly approached an end.

Bilbo slipped off his pony and grabbed his bag. He pet the sand-colored mane in thanks. The ponies waited until everyone had grabbed their supplies before the borrowed mounts left for home. Though few were saddened, most of the effort went to trying to get Gandalf to stay. He bid farewell after ten minutes of failure caused muted protests among the dwarves.

They all stood there for a few minutes. The Company kept on sending glances toward the trees. There was some shuffling as the rations and other supplies were sorted one more time. They needed to be aware of what they had to begin planning how to use everything in the coming days.

"Let's move." Thorin spoke up from the front of the group. The dwarf had a sour look on his face, but it was mostly masked by indifference. Everyone looked at each other and followed.

* * *

The first day in Mirkwood went by slowly. They did make some headway, even though it did not look it at the time. Fervent glances went toward the trees constantly, but despite the feeling of being watched, nothing showed itself. Bilbo was quite unnerved by the quiet maneuver they were going through. Dwarves and trees did not mix; unless, it was to escape an enemy. The uncomfortable atmosphere reflected in the fact no one talked, at all. The hobbit annoyingly tapped his thigh.

"If we cannot leave the path, how will we camp for the night?" He asked Bofur. The cheerful dwarf was almost always up for conversation.

"Right on the path, I'm guessing. A few parts have been wide enough to set up a decent camp. What is worrying is how we are going to get a fire going."

This did prove to be a little problematic. There was barely enough tinder on the path, and what they brought with them did not seem to want to catch fire at all. It was not a dilemma concerning food. Beorn did not give them any meat, and none of their provisions would have to be cooked. The main reason for a fire was to stop the haunting gaze that was permanently on their backs. The night passed more sluggishly than the day, and half the Company stayed on watch at once because no one could sleep.

* * *

The next few days passed in the same manner. On the fourth day, there was a slight problem.

"What do you mean we are not stopping for lunch?" Bilbo complained. He had perfected the hard stare directed at Thorin without flinching when the dwarf glared back.

"We are not stopping for lunch. We are low on food, and we need to get out of these woods as soon as possible." Thorin had become slowly frustrated as the days went by. There was no singular cause for it, yet it got worse each day. Nonetheless, he did his best to try and sound calm to the burglar.

"How can that be?! It was supposed to last us at least a week, or however long we are stuck here!" Bilbo would think back on himself and chastise how he acted. This was not that time. He was exhausted and hungry and used to at least three meals a day since starting this journey. If they would not stop to eat they could stop and rest. How else was he supposed to survive?

Thorin waved the hobbit off. "I apologize, Master Baggins, we must continue on."

Continue on they did. Bilbo huffed but did not complain anymore. Instead, he looked down at his feet despairingly. They were filthy. In attempt to find some good news, he guessed he was still relatively clean from before his bath a week ago. A week ago! No, it was best not to think of that after all. When they did eventually reach the river he would not be able to freshen up at all. A face wash would be good enough, but that was a risk was in itself. He took a brief sip from his water skin and after that stopped thinking about water.

* * *

"I'm hungry," Kili complained under his breath. He was leaning onto his brother's shoulder, so Fili had no trouble hearing the words.

"You can wait a few more hours." The blonde dwarf replied. He ruffled Kili's hair affectionately, which caused a brief grumble of dissatisfaction.

"No, I can't. What harm would it be anyway? I checked and it looks like plenty. Uncle just wants to put everybody in misery because he's in a bad mood." The Company was currently stopped for a brief break, an hour after Bilbo made the point they had to stop. The dark-haired dwarf's attention was at the back of the line where all the provisions were kept. The majority of their food was kept with one or two dwarves at a time, one who would not consistently take bites through the day. Everyone had a small portion beyond those provisions to carry, and Kili already finished off his bread.

"Do you have any left?" He asked before the older dwarf could reply to his first statements.

Fili sighed and shook his head. "No, I don't."

"I can probably sneak some for both of us to help until dinner."

"We have to make everything last for over a week, Kee."

"Don't call me that."

"Then grow up and wait a little bit. We should be moving again soon anyway."

The young dwarfed fingered one of his arrows lightly. "I can do it without your help anyway."

"_Kili-_" He could not get any more words up before the other dwarf stood up and stalked off.

"Uncle." The dwarf's next target was Thorin. It would have been a bad idea for anyone else, but Kili had a lifetime of practice in this regard. "I'm hungry…"

"Wait longer," Thorin turned away and motioned everyone to start moving again. The break lasted about five minutes.

"But you still have your single ration right? Since you don't need it I can take it off your hands." The youngest Durin put on his irresistible puppy face on but the other dwarf already walked off.

"No."

"Please?"

"The answer has not changed in two seconds."

"Please!"

Thorin tried to count off some seconds of freedom, but Kili did not want to give in. After five more times of being asked, he got out the bread in his pocket and threw half of it behind him. He would feel bad if his nephew was that hungry, but he knew he was just being annoying because he was also in a bad mood.

"Thanks," Kili was only somewhat satisfied, though it was enough to stop asking for more.

The spare bread was already gone by the time he was back by Fili.

"Where's my share?"

"You said you did not want any."

"I never said that."

"Well, I already ate it all. Sorry."

* * *

The following day passed in much of the same manner. This time around, more of the Company decided to complain. Bilbo took full advantage of this in attempts to get larger rations for everyone that day.

"Why should we have to wait longer for just one meal when in reality we are eating the same amount we will be with three meals?" The hobbit empathetically explained to Bombur. This was true. What they ate for a meal on average during the journey was no different from what it was now. There was just one of them.

"I don't know. Otherwise the rations would be smaller per meal, and it may be more torturous." The passive dwarf said unsurely. Bilbo did not want to hear it. He was usually one of the most passive in the group. He hated confrontation and the thought of trying to convince Thorin to give them more food scared him. He loved food more, though, and he needed at least three meals a day. He never complained before on not getting his seven, so everybody had it coming toward them.

"It is a simple matter really. After we eat for the night we go to sleep. All that energy from food is wasted while we sleep. Properly paced meals would hold us over a lot more. That idiot simply cannot see it." He was furious enough not to realize he called Thorin an idiot, and also that he raised his voice at the end of the speech on top of that. Luckily for Bilbo, their leader was at the very front of the group while they trailed behind.

"True…"

"So will you help me?" Bilbo waved his hands excitably. So far he had Dori, Ori, Kili and Oin on his side on this. That was about half the Company. Either his forces would have the food-guard duty, and secretly distribute food. If none of them did then there were some family connections to the remainder of the members.

"Yes, I will see what I can do." Bombur walked over to Bofur, who was currently responsible for carrying the bulk of food supplies. The two brothers talked for a few minutes in low voices. Bilbo tried to strain his ears to listen, yet came up with nothing. The few words he did catch 'later,' 'ration,' and 'bread' was not helpful. Eventually, the other dwarf gave in and dug out half a loaf of bread for the ginger-haired dwarf.

When he returned to Bilbo, he had a solemn look on his face. The hobbit cleared his throat. "Hey!" He tried hard not to be snippy, really. "I convinced you to do it. I deserve some." The dwarf looked like he was about to disagree and swallow the loaf whole but gave in and gave Bilbo a portion.

Somehow, their supposed-to-be 'quiet' dealings caught the attention of several of the Company. Before Bilbo could take a proper bite, he had three eager dwarves on his heels. This was a time where he wished he had stronger resolve. He only ended up with two bites for himself.

* * *

Thorin considered he did this whole food business the wrong way. There were a few times in his life when he would consider himself starving. Those times the least they could do is hunt the food, and if really desperate, scavenge for herbs and other green eats. Currently, none of that was possible. Not from the lack of trying, he noticed Kili had one or two arrows missing each new day. While confined to this accursed path, they were stuck. They were stuck with only the food they already had, which would not last forever.

That was where he made his plan. Without additional output with concern to food supplies, what everyone ate had to be cut down. There were several complaints to be heard. His stomach gave one every hour or so. The main surprise was how vocal the little hobbit could be on this. Thorin felt more annoyed than guilty, however. He wanted to help them. They had several more days, on estimate, to go through and having a little food each day instead of no food the last days sounded better to him.

The attempts he made to explain this at camp each night was greeted with more and more agitation. None of the dwarves, and Bilbo, wanted to feel hopeless in the food situation. Thorin was no exempt from this. He had to keep his resolve in this so they did not emerge half-starved once they left the forest. The same resolve was in his opposition, but he would hold strong. They would be appreciative of his decision once the last few days through this accursed forest was upon them. He would be very thankful of the appreciation once it came. It did help to know his choices as a leader were valued.

* * *

"I don't see why I can't do it." Kili moaned. He sat with his knees tucked in across from his brother. Fili tried to stay cool headed with the younger dwarf, difficult as it was getting.

"Well, you cannot. The safest part right now is on this path and you have to stay here."

"Why? Because someone told us to? I want to be able to hunt, at least do _something_." The archer sadly counted his arrows. The trail was too confining to get any proper hunting done. There were now five arrows he would never see again.

"Because that is all we have to go on, and we need not to take any extra risk."

"Exactly! There is nothing else to go on. What would five minutes do?" Kili did not know why he waited for his brother's approval. It was obviously not going to come anytime soon. There was nothing to stop him from leaving the path right now. He was one of the quickest on his feet with this Company. Granted, he tripped over tree roots more often than most, yet he could probably do it.

"Are you blind, brother? There have been eyes on us since we entered this forest. I, for one, do not want to find out what they are." Fili grabbed the other dwarf's wrist before he could properly stand up. Kili growled and pulled his arm free.

"No, I'm not! Why won't you let me do something that doesn't need your approval for once?" He ignored a few of the anxious glances that came there way. He judged the amount of time he would have to get away from his brother before anyone noticed he was gone.

"You're acting like an idiot and need to stop and think for once." Fili grabbed the younger dwarf's arm again and sensed the automatic bristling reaction he had every time when the dark-haired prince got defensive. This usually caused him to back off, yet he would not let his ignorant brother run off and do something stupid.

"You do too much for both of us anyway." Kili slumped, and after Fili was sure he would not try to sprint off, he loosened his grip.

"Come on. You should get some rest before you plan anything crazy, anyway."

* * *

Bilbo twisted where he laid and slowly counted to ten. Not so slowly where he could get his mind off other things. Like how all the dwarves were annoying, he was hungry, and the annoyance that was his friends. The good news was he managed to get more to eat. Good karma came back to him from sharing food earlier. Now, if that would transfer over to a comfortable spot to sleep he would be golden.

His gaze focused on the tree branches above him. A few overhung on the path, which would be nice, if shade was needed. Here, it was already dark, and thick overhead branches made the whole feeling worse. Bilbo could imagine the forest rich in vegetation, edible vegetation. He adjusted his position to stare more into the trees.

A few pairs of bright eerie eyes stared back at him. He had a strong urge to throw something, anything at it. Maybe a big rock would work. Either, one, it will go away, a preferable option. Then he would not have to worry about it as it drove him crazy. All the other creatures they ran into were confrontational. Just being watched, it was disturbing. If whatever it was could not get to them, they should be left alone.

The second thing that could happen with a potential rock throw was it would stun the creature, and it will stumble into the path. It was far less likely, even more so that it would be edible.

'Okay, Bilbo, time to stop thinking about food.' He chastised himself lightly. He was really getting desperate if he thought creepy eyes could be food.

The hobbit sat up straight. An idea popped into his head and would be good to try while he could not sleep. Also, hunger was a great motivator. Several of the dwarves had commented on how he should refine is burglar skills. He never understood the sentiment; the only ones he could steal from were his friends. There was no point. Nevertheless, right now he felt bold, hungry, and annoyed. He could take some food from the stash.

For the next ten minutes, he slowly developed his plan. He pretended to be asleep. The whole camp was quiet. He knew Balin was currently on watch. Whoever he switched with, Bilbo would move then when the two were distracted. It would be hard to not be obvious when he could not hide off the path. He would work this though, he would. His stomach automatically agreed.

The main obstacle was with Thorin. Their leader kept by food rations at night. He remembered a conversation with Fili and Kili where both young dwarves assured him that Thorin "was an extremely light sleeper on the road or in uncomfortable environments." How was Bilbo supposed to get past it or the temper if he woke up? He had a few feet to spare. Thorin did not sleep with all the provisions. The thought was a little creepy, even with his current hunger-obsessed mind.

Bilbo waited five more minutes until he heard Balin wake up the next dwarf for watch. He could always wait until it was his turn. Though, recalling it now, he did not have a turn on watch tonight or the last few nights. Thorin must have thought he was a little too high strung lately. The dwarf had no room to make the claim to anyone else with his attitude.

He got up and moved quietly to the other edge of camp. The Company slept on or tried to. There were shifts and grumbles that resonated in the air. No one paid in mind to him, though. Bilbo let out his breath he did not know he was holding. This may have been easier if he had come up with this plan before he chose his spot to sleep for the night. He jumped over one of his sleeping companions and avoided landing on another on the other side. Approximately four dwarves, plus Thorin, were in the way of a pleasant midnight snack.

There was a snap behind him, and Bilbo jumped. He turned around and saw- nothing. The surroundings looked the same from a second ago. He concluded one of the dwarves must have rolled on a loose twig and started once more on his mission.

He did not how long it took him to get to the bag with all the food rations. He made it safely, with none of his friends the wiser. The dwarf on watch now, Bifur, did not notice him. Most of the watch's focus, Bilbo noted, was toward the trees, not camp. He was glad that stayed the same from his prior observations at night once they reached Mirkwood.

Bilbo scrunched his face in concentration and stared down the food sack. Thorin currently faced away from him but with the dwarf's subtle breathing the hobbit could not tell if he was asleep. Best to ignore him in case his stare would wake the supposedly-asleep Thorin up. He took small steps to the bag and debated his next move. He would not take too much. Despite what their stubborn leader thought of him, Bilbo did understand they needed to stretch out the nutrition as long as possible. Would what he took still be noticeable? It was a bad idea to place anything in the absent food's place. Anything in this forest may contaminate what was left, a very, very bad idea. He would keep to shifting the bag so it looked like nothing was taken and the same amount remained inside.

His hand carefully loosened the straps on the bag. He pulled a string loose and slipped his hand in. He felt what he guessed was bread and some kind of fruit. Eyes strained on Thorin; he took out first the bread and secondly the fruit, which turned out to be an apple. There was an agonizing ten seconds when he wondered if he got caught. After the shock of he may actually do this was passed Bilbo made his way back to his original spot.

The excitement and success turned him slightly clumsy and he tripped over one of the dwarves. He clung the rations to his chest and let a relieved sigh when he saved them from hitting the dirty ground. "Who's that?" Dori spoke up groggily. Bilbo tensed as he noticed the other dwarf waking up.

"Just me, I was just, um, doing my business. My apologizes." Bilbo left before he noticed he was holding food.

No more slip ups occurred by the time he reached his bedroll. Bilbo made himself comfortable and angled his body away. This time the food was all his. He ate the bread now and kept the apple for later. As he was putting the red fruit in his pocket, his hand brushed up against the curious little ring. Well darn it all! He could have used it to make the whole task easier. There was nothing he could do about the situation now. He would not forget to use it the next time the invisibility trick would become useful. Bilbo hummed lowly in his accomplishment and settled in to sleep. Or, at least try to, the ground was still uncomfortable.

* * *

**A/N:** The chapter was a little slow, but I thought it was important to show. No worries, enchanted rivers, spiders and maybe some elves will appear in the next chapter to make things exciting.

Reviews are gold ^^


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N:** I am so, so sorry for such a long wait for the update. The only good reason I have is I got a job shortly after my last chapter was posted. That left little time to be able to focus on this story. My job training is basically done, and now hopefully I will have a normal summer update schedule that I originally planned.

**Disclaimer:** J.R.R. Tolkien, not me. The initialized words in the chapter are from Chapter VIII "Flies and Spiders."

**Chapter Fifteen**

or "Running Rivers and Screaming Spiders"

Everyone was quiet as they got up the next morning. This will normally unnerve Bilbo. He did like a peaceful quiet morning, yet he knew it was odd for these dwarves and meant something was wrong in the group. Today, however, he ignored the heavy feeling in the air. The last few days he had gotten used to the silence. Plus, he had his apple safely in his pocket. Bilbo worried the bulge would be a little obvious after he woke up so he transferred the fruit to his bag shortly after. He would have time to eat it later. For now, he had the small slice of bread that was passed around, and only felt a little guilty on the extra snack safely tucked away in his bag.

Conversation did not pick up throughout the morning. Bilbo found himself next to Ori, who kept on sending furtive glances to the trees.

"I don't think there is anything too bad out there." He tried to tell the scribe optimistically. The eerie eyes he spotted last night popped in his mind and he pushed the thought out. The memory must have reflected in his voice because the dwarf did not appear convinced.

"Whatever is out there at least could not get at us for the moment." Ori replied. "Do you have any idea when we will reach the river?" The hobbit shrugged in response. He had no clue, and completely forgot if Beorn told them exactly when they will reach the water.

The when turned out to be late in the afternoon following the brief talk. Some of the older dwarves felt the best way to handle the stress now was to recount war stories and triumphs in the gloomy air. Bilbo remained at the back of the group and barely listened. Stories, yes, bloody battle remembrance, no.

He walked to the front of the group when they stopped at the whirling river. The water did not look particularly dangerous, but he did not want to risk it. The dark water licked at the shore and surged forward at dangerous speeds. The ones already at the front of the group started to argue on the best way to get across. At the same time as the rising argument gave Bilbo a headache, the tension in the air relaxed. The dwarves were happy to dispute over something that was not short tempers or food.

"Isn't there supposed to be a boat?" Dori looked despairingly around the banks. There was subtle shifting as the Company tried to locate any floating device to get across.

"It is on the other side." One of the others pointed out eventually. Everyone looked to where Nori indicated. A small round vessel, apparently a boat, bobbed on the other bank tauntingly. Groans came out and the debate quickly changed to how they were going to get the boat to this side of the river.

"It may be anchored to the other side. Why else isn't it going anywhere?"

"Does anyone have any rope?"

The two conflicting voices came up at the same time. Voices continued to bicker back and forth if a rope will do anything, or if any anchor would prevent the boat from coming over easily in the first place. Eventually, the dwarves decided to give the rope a try because no other ideas came up.

Fili tried first. Kili stood at his side and poked the blonde dwarf repeatedly in the ribs.

"Let me try." Kili had one of his arrows out and attempted to grab the rope.

"It is too heavy for your arrows."

"Is not," The archer snapped back.

"What will you do if you lose another arrow from the rushing water?"

"Pull it back with the rope?"

Thorin rolled his eyes and walked over to where the two were quarreling. Despite him not wanting to get involved with any of the two dwarves' disputes, they needed to shut up. He took the line from Fili and went back to his original spot before either dwarf could stop him. Two young, angry pairs of eyes glared at his back, though he disregarded them.

A quick word with Dwalin, Thorin handed his friend the rope. The two secured one end to one of the tattooed dwarf's battle axes. Then the blade was chucked hard across the river and imbedded into a tree on the far side. A firm tug proved both axe and rope were secure.

"Someone could cross with the rope and attached it to the boat on the other side and pull up any anchor the boat has." Thorin stated calmly. The dwarf looked over to Bilbo, who recognized the gaze immediately.

"No, no, _no_." Bilbo put bluntly. "I am not doing anything like that again." He had ignored all details while the dwarves debated. They could figure it out and there was no way he would be dragged into a voluntary position like that.

"I'll do it," Kili quickly turned from the silent argument with his brother. Fili buried his face in his hands and muttered something intangible. Thorin seemed like he was going to refuse but gave up in resignation.

"Fine."

Kili tested his weight first before trying to get across. The line was bouncier than he would like, and water sprayed upward. He decidedly did not think of how he was a terrible swimmer, enchanted river or not. Also, the anxious gazes on his back failed to help matters.

When the young dwarf got across, his legs shook but he felt accomplished.

"Is the boat anchored?"

Kili glared across the water, as he was still trying to catch his breath. Without verbally complaint he waddled at the edge of the river and checked the boat. It was a small boat, at least to elf standards, whose boat it probably was, but it will still safely hold a pair or trio of dwarves and hobbit. There was no visible anchor beyond a thin, white line. He could not see how it was strong enough to hold up, but he would not cut it yet.

He jumped back to the river bank; the energy slowly returned to his limbs. Kili untied the rope from Dwalin's axe and went back to the boat. After it was securely fastened to the boat, the anchor was cut. The boat bobbed more in the waves, however was able to hold its spot.

"It should be good." He called across the river. Common sense said he should get out so more could get in and across. As usual when he was tired, or ever, he ignored it and instead made sure the rope stayed attached as the rest of the Company pulled it back.

Fili quickly got in the boat after it reached the shore. He pulled the younger dwarf in a fierce hug and kissed his forehead lightly. "Stupid." The blonde dwarf was careful to speak softly so no one else will hear. Kili growled and pulled back enough so he could breathe.

"What did I do wrong?"

"Nothing, it was nothing." Fili pulled the other dwarf back into a hug.

"Then you're stupid."

Balin chuckled at the young dwarves' antics as he slipped in the boat. He located a small paddle and with it started across the river once more. Once Fili noticed the older dwarf was doing most of the work he immediately offered to help. Kili remained propped up against his brother's shoulder despite the halfhearted glare sent in his direction. One end of the rope still was kept in the boat as the remaining dwarves held on in the opposite end. Then they could prevent it from going way off course.

It was slow going getting the whole Company across the river. Bilbo was weary of going across in the first place. He wanted nothing more than to get it done with. The swirling black water made him incredibly uneasy, so he kept away from offering to get into the boat. After half of the group was across, he floundered forward before he could stop himself. He should just get it over with. That was the best course of action, really.

He slid into the boat next to Bifur and Bofur. The two dwarves gave affirmative nods of comfort. Bilbo managed to smile and hunkered down. He wished the others would have mentioned how bumpy the ride was, or he could have only him imagined it. No water splashed inside, luckily. Bofur offered a few condolences in effort to make the hobbit relax. For the most part, Bilbo ignored the words and instead focused, again, on how hungry he was. There was still the apple, yet he would feel bad if he stole anymore, and he would not eat the stolen fruit in plain sight. His stomach ached in protest. Okay then, nothing 'happy' existed to get his mind off anything. It was either think of something dissatisfying or think of something bad.

Finally, the boat reached the other side. A sigh of relief escaped Bilbo and he jumped out of the boat. He almost went straight into a face plant if one of the dwarves did not stop his fall. He was more shaken up than he would like to admit.

He plopped down next to a tree as the boat slowly started to bob back to the other end of the river. There was little conversation among the dwarves already across. Most took the opportunity to rest before they had to start moving again. Kili had dozed off on Fili's shoulder, and the older of the two was close to falling asleep himself. Balin was helping with Ori's messy hair as Dori watched on while setting his own hair back into place. Bilbo wanted to be as relaxed as his friends appeared, but instead he settled to calm his nerves and rest his feet as best he could.

His mind left his body for a brief second. It drifted back home, to Bag End, to huge breakfasts no grand feast from royalty could compare to. The subtle smell drifted through his mind. It was a ghost-scent. He could not detect it, or actually absorb the smell. It was there though, and it slowly drove him crazy.

Before Bilbo could fully take in his daydream he was jolted awake. Something hit him hard in the side and he leaped up in fear. Eyes gazed around for any sign of what woke him. There was nothing there but some dwarves, a bleak forest, and a river. Nothing changed.

"Sorry," Dori turned his head in inclination toward the hobbit. Bilbo figured it must have been him who bumped into and he wondered if karma came back to hit him after he woke the dwarf up earlier. The worry on his companion's face removed the thought out of his mind. Dori was always a little gloomy and pessimistic, but he never looked this white and Bilbo knew he _never_ visibly shook like that.

"What's wrong?"

"Bombur and Nori are out cold. They fell in the water."

Bilbo walked over to the edge of the water where the other dwarves were crowded. Oin stood up and declared that nothing drastically was wrong besides a deep sleep fell upon the two dwarves. The older dwarf was quickly heckled into giving more information, and why he looked worried despite the conclusion he gave.

The healer had little patience to deal with all the annoyed and worried dwarves. There was a limit for everyone in hard environments. Everybody had reached there's or was close to it. Bilbo looked around and noticed now, at least, all the Company was across. The thought soothed him for a little bit, at least.

"I am worried because I do not know how long the induced sleep will last. Bodies cannot remain immobile long without negative ratifications." Oin muttered something else that Bilbo could not catch. Whatever the words were, it caused tense reactions and a few small laughs.

Almost a half hour passed as to debate the next move. As accustomed, the hobbit noticed, that caused a lot of arguing for the dwarves. It was not as productive from previous disputes. The same points came up without any forward agreement, and everyone involved was too stubborn and cranky to settle on anything other than their viewpoint. Several dwarves just dropped out of the argument completely. Dori stalked away after five minutes and complained how Nori always did stupid things. His voice held nothing but concern; however, and Bilbo heard the same tone in several of the older members of the Company. More dwarves faded out of the argument in the following minutes.

The remaining members continued to argue it out. Eventually, Thorin was the last one to give in. The normal glare was edged with exhaustion and frustration. He cleared his throat loudly before speaking. "We will go a little further down the path. We would have to carry them for now. We will stop once we are a comfortable distance away from the river. It will probably be for the night. Now, grab your stuff, let's get moving."

Few audible complaints could be heard, but no one disobeyed orders. A couple makeshift structures were put together for the two unconscious dwarves. Anyone who did not have a heavy load with their packs assisted in holding the two from the unconscious dwarves. Bilbo felt a little useless and offered to carry any extra load of the ones doing the brute carrying. His feet tired; he collapsed in the dirty path once they made camp.

* * *

Bilbo, for one, felt horrible for dozing off. On top of that, he felt horrible for stealing food the night before. 'Rightly so,' his mind tried to tell him. 'I was starving.' But nope, he felt really down in the dumps as far as team spirit went. To compensate for this, the hobbit did his best to comfort Dori after they set up camp for the day.

The eldest Ri brother was beside himself over Nori's condition. Bilbo noticed before most of his mother hen habits went toward Ori. It was more from the youngest having accepted it more than lack of love for Nori, who had always brushed it off annoyingly.

Now, however, nothing stopped Dori to continue the old pattern of annoyed concern- "the one time he tried to be noble" - and all out mother hen crazy anxiety. Nori's starfish-do was carefully put back into order, and Dori went on and on voicing his distress. The unconscious dwarf received the full brunt of the care. Both Fili and Kili dragged Ori away, either to help distract him from one brother's condition, or to save him from the mother hen tendency of the other, Bilbo was unsure.

It took a while to figure out what he could do. Once he figured it out, Bilbo was not happy about it. He was not happy with the conclusion at all. Steadying his resolve, Bilbo took a deep breath and prodded the old dwarf in the shoulder. Prior, he had had rubbed the dwarf comfortingly on the back. He ignored the hobbit mostly, now he turned to look with a hearty glare.

"I, um, saved this a little while ago. You can have it." Bilbo held up his, stolen, apple. Dori knew Bilbo would not have saved an apple if he had it. He would have eaten it days ago. He also was the one Bilbo also accidently woke up. He hoped nothing would be said in gratitude of the amazing act. Because it was amazing, Bilbo was starving and gave up his food.

"Thank you." Afterward, Dori relaxed a little bit and was more aware he was not the only one suffering from this forest.

Bofur sat leaning against a tree, looking dazed. He did nothing for a while but a low and even humming. He had the same out-of-this-world-stressed aura that Dori had. A half hour of doing nothing, the usually upbeat dwarf pulled out his whistle and began to play.

Bilbo walked over to him after he gave the apple to Dori. He managed to muster a small smile and sat down next to him. "How are you doing?"

"Alright," his friend replied without much thought or heart. Bilbo sighed. He did not know how to do this. He was an only child and trying to figure out how his friends felt with their brothers hurt he could never comprehend at that level. He did have some maternal instincts, however, and he tried to access them.

"They'll be fine." Bilbo said with all the strength available. It wasn't much- he was beat down and hungry.

"I know." Bofur replied with a small sigh. It was unnerving to see the dwarf in such a down state. Bilbo counted on his optimism to help pull through the rough patches of this journey, no matter how blunt that optimism was. "The big loaf is probably thinking of food, knowing him." The dwarf went back to his music, which was, Bilbo noticed with belated enthusiasm, was mostly cheerful.

The notes floated in the air for a short time before they stopped. "I think I do it more for me." Bofur broke the looming silence in their corner. Bilbo looked at him curiously.

"My music, it helps calm my nerves. I think if I play I could get through to them." He nodded toward Bifur. "I did it while Bifur was unconscious days on end after the injury. It helped at least with one of us."

Bilbo nodded in understanding, his heart going out toward his friend. He reached a hand up and patted the dwarf on the shoulder. The two shared a brief smile, and he left him to enjoy his music. Knowing his companions were as content and happy as they could be in the dismal forest, Bilbo set on his next task; the task of getting more food.

* * *

It took almost two days for Nori and Bombur to wake up. Oin could do nothing to help. The dwarves received massages to help with blood flow in their motionless states, but nothing else. Despite the short protests, Thorin insisted that they continue going. They were running short on food and will eventually starve to death. The quicker the Company could get moving, the better. Therefore, two makeshift sketchers were made and everyone trudged on.

It was something to look forward to when the two finally aroused from their slumber. After a moody silence, the small 'clearing' they stopped in, if it can be called that, erupted with noise.

"Oof, let me go." Nori complained as Dori bear hugged his younger brother. There was a subtle creak of bones heard from the strong dwarf's hug, but the thief was still able to breathe properly. Ori waited to the side before tackling both dwarves in his own hug. The scribe pulled out a stick, which was part of Nori's sketcher, and hit both brothers upside the head like they were children. The look on his face said the young dwarf had wanted to do it for a very long time.

Bombur looked around once he woke up. He had a fairly easy job doing so despite Bofur and his hug. The ginger haired dwarf looked disappointed once he caught sight of their scant surroundings.

"What is it?" Bofur asked before Bifur came over to add to the group hug.

His brother sighed and shook his head. "I was hoping there would be food. I dreamed of this huge banquet with large roasted pig and all the pastries and delights a cook can ask for…" Bombur continued to go on about the food with a wistful smile.

Bilbo and Bofur shared a brief look, and if not for the rather bleak situation they were still in, the two would have burst out laughing.

Thorin let his Company regroup. He discreetly ordered Fili and Kili to stay close to his side. With the knowledge of the regal dwarf's protective glare if they traveled beyond five feet, both were content to lean against him while everyone rested.

* * *

The happy atmosphere did not last that long. The pace had considerably slowed the last few days, and there was no end of the forest in sight. The food supply was depressingly low. Bilbo wanted to pull his hair out as the growl in his stomach panged him every twenty minutes. He spent his day trailing beside Bombur, who was in equal distress over the loss of food.

On varying levels, the whole Company was in distress on the food situation. It was not simply the food. All the dwarves found something to entertain themselves throughout the journey. Now, no attempts of entertainment were mustered. Bofur played some music before sleep each night but that lasted only half the time it usually did before he retired for the night.

Another couple days passed and complaints came up, wondering if the path was the quickest way out of Mirkwood. There was no navigation, and the dwarves and hobbit were left disoriented and confined on the path.

Trees sometimes intercepted on the path. Some looked for any small animals hidden safely in the trees to no avail. It was one of these trees, a tall imposing one, where Thorin stopped and turned to glare at Bilbo.

"Halfling- Master Baggins, climb the tree and see how our progress is."

"What? Why me?" It may have been his imagination, but Bilbo felt he said that a lot on this adventure.

Several protests and excuses on why dwarves did not climb trees reached his ears. In dull acknowledgment, the hobbit sighed and rubbed his hand through messy curls. He consented soon enough to the relief of his companions. A moment of staring at the tree however, Bilbo cleared his throat embarrassingly.

"Um, can someone help me to the first branch? I cannot reach." A couple came over to help him step up into the branch. A thankful smile was sent down from the perched hobbit. Bilbo set his face to stone and started to climb.

The last time he climbed a tree he feared he would be eaten alive. This time Bilbo was able to focus on his path up and at the same time focus on how he would get down. He felt impatient stares trained on his back, most of his friends blocked by the branches now. He made the point to go slower up the second half of the tree.

When he reached the top a voice called up to him. "What do you see?" Bilbo recognized Thorin, yet was not able to tell how the dwarf noticed he had reached the top. He looked around and saw trees stretch out before him. He could faintly make out where they tree line ended, but it was hard to tell with his angle. Also in his line of sight was the Lonely Mountain, a single towering peak in the distance.

"I see beautiful butterflies!" Bilbo called back down. A shout of ignition was his reply on the forest floor, again by Thorin. He could imagine the rest of the Company as they chuckled at the words or rolled their eyes.

It was true. Bright blue butterflies flickered around his head, almost distracting him to the point of falling off. He could patterns on their wings and the very subtle flutter of air tickled his skin. He laughed and started to head back down the tree. A shame, the Mirkwood actually resembled the beauty of the old days where it was called Greenwood above the branches.

Once he was at a point where he did not have to shout, Bilbo continued his answer. "Really, I can't tell. We have at least a day to go. I can see the end of the trees barely but not how the path gets there." Groans interrupted from the dwarves and stomachs panged in hunger. All they could do is move on.

* * *

Another slow day passed in silence. The day after Bilbo climbed the tree an argument spilled out. It started a trickle until the words came out fast and heated. They argued on whether or not they should leave the path. A few thought they shouldn't but most decided they had to. To get food, or they needed to get something to help sustain the next few days.

Kili tried to sneak off while most of the dwarves argued, but Fili grabbed his arm before he could get anywhere. The two glared at each other for a minute before Kili pushed his brother away.

Thorin remained undecided, which prompted more heated debate as both sides tried to get their leader to agree to them. Bilbo was also undecided. He wanted to have food; he wanted to not be confined to such suffocating trail. The trees and their depths terrified him, though. The hair at the back of his neck stood up in anticipation and fear. His gaze swept over his companions and quickly flitted away. He did not like to see them in such frenzied conflict.

That was when his eyes spotted something else. In the trees, his eyes spotted something else, a flicker in the forest.

"There's a light!"

The Company stopped and turned to where he pointed. Light that could be from a fire was visible from the trail. "Let's follow it!"

This seemed to be the consent for enough moments where most of the group charged into the forest. Bilbo was gently pushed along and to the side as Gloin passed him. Before he could think, he followed. Thorin, who was suddenly on edge, made a motion to stop them and in the end just followed, cursing under his breath.

What followed next passed in a blur for Bilbo. Darkness seemed to press on his vision and his breath hitched as his drained body pushed forward. He heard movements beside him but could not distinguish the dwarves as most were already way ahead of him. He called out, with only a few glances directed his way. Dread seeped through his veins and the light that caught his attention dissipated. The little beacon of hope, or a trap, disappeared and Bilbo let out a scream of frustration and fear. The shapes of his friends vanished from his vision and a few seconds later a prickle went up his spine and he fainted.

* * *

Bilbo blinked his eyes wearily. His lids felt heavy and his whole body weary. He slowly tested all his limbs to check for injury. Besides the exhaustion he felt after days of travel, little rest, and even less food, he detected no major injuries. A sigh of relief escaped him and the next thing was to stand up.

Something, a big branch Bilbo assumed, trapped his legs from moving. A slight soreness pierced his calf but he resolutely ignored it. Three minutes of maneuvering finally released his lower body. Gingerly, Bilbo stood up and stretched.

It was still dark out; he had hard trouble seeing anything. He forced down the panic and checked to see if the little sword remained by his side. A soft sigh escaped the hobbit when he felt the blade where he left it. Another minute to search the ground he found his bag. Everything was still in it, but he did not make time for a thorough check.

"Hello!" Bilbo called out to the darkness. "Anybody?" he tried again. There was no answer. Ignoring the small voice that said he will likely attract trouble more than his friends, he ran through the forest and called their names. It was soon apparent he was desperate. He had no idea how far from the forest path he came before he was knocked out. What mattered was it was apparent that he was very far from it now.

Several moments of running like a disoriented idiot, Bilbo slowed down. His tired limbs sagged in relief, and he forced himself to remain standing. He closed his eyes, which were not helpful now anyway, and tried to listen. There was a silent rustle of leaves of a typical forest scape. Then he heard it. It was deeper, more insistent sound than the rustle. It was clear _something_ moved through the forest. The terrified hobbit did not get his hopes up. 'Be cautious, not freaked out,' he told himself silently. He pulled the blade out and started toward the noise.

Bilbo stopped when he saw what looked like hump move through the forest. It was a bulky shape with several legs. A spider…? He balked and tried to repress a shiver. It was huge! And it headed this way. His legs like stone he stepped woodenly behind a tree. The spider, beast-thing hurried past without noticing him. It muttered in a raspy, clipped voice, and Bilbo was able to distinguish a few words.

"Lost it, now have to go back to the others with no more catch. Better have own share."

The stone feeling seeped up to his stomach and arms. This sounded like a bad situation all around. The clear choice to do was to follow the creature and see if it was his friends in trouble. When he took a step forward, the worst possible thing happened: he stepped on a twig. The noise alerted the spider and its bulky form came toward him once more.

Sharp breathes escaped him and he fumbled around for something to do. Attack? What? His free hand slipped in his pocket and brushed against the ring. _Yes!_ Bilbo put it on without a second thought and disappeared as the spider creature reached the tree.

He stood stock still and closed his eyes to not see it, and therefore not scream. When the noise and feeling of being surrounded ceased Bilbo slowly started to follow the creature- extra careful of his feet. 'All the times my reliable feet will step on a twig. If not for my ring it would have ended in disaster. High chances of me being someone's snack.'

They came across a small clearing. The giant arachnid went over to a few of its companions. That left Bilbo to ponder over what to do. There were several woven pods up in the tree, the number reaching the same as his missing companions.

'I must do something,' he thought bleakly. He knew there were times he had been a big help in saving his friends, like distracting the trolls long enough. Bilbo also knew that he could handle his own for a while, like with Gollum below the goblin caverns. What he did not know was if he could act in a situation like this. He was not a direct confrontational person. He used his words more than his weapon. His head throbbed in the beginnings of headache. He took some small comfort that at least he was invisible with the ring.

Most of the bundles of web were completely still, which terrified him. A few twitched and Bilbo took it as a good sign his companions were alive. 'Not for long you crazy hobbit, unless you do something.' A voice chided in his mind. He pushed it back and held the evlish blade tightly in hand. Well, here goes nothing.

Bilbo leaped forward and prior to any sensible thoughts or plan can form, he attacked the nearest spider with the blade. Then he did it again for good measure. The painful, angry screech rung in his ears and he sprinted back into the trees a second later. The spider spun around and tried to spot what attacked it.

The hobbit deduced he will not be able to attack and kill all the spiders at once. They will guess where he was and that will be the end of it. He needed to get them away for a while. A large rock sat on the ground by his feet. Bilbo bent down and tested the weight. It was heavy, but it will do. He took a deep breath and flung it across the other side of the clearing. The leaves and undergrowth rustled with the impact and the spiders scuttled off in that direction.

Bilbo tested his muscles first before heading up the nearby tree. He climbed up nimbly, but his hands were shaking. There was not enough time; he could feel it. There were over a dozen dwarves to release, and he guessed they were all unconscious. They could not get out. He ignored the foreboding thought and cut gently into one of the twitchy bundles. Bilbo wished he had a smaller knife for precise cuts. The way it was right now he feared he would injure someone.

A couple seconds of careful cuts revealed Bofur. "I'm sorry. I hope you land on your feet." Bilbo then cut the main web chord that held the remints of the bundle in the tree. The dwarf fell to the ground and the jolt woke him up.

"What?" Bofur looked confused. His face was pale and hair stood up all over the place with loosened braids and no hat. Bilbo forced himself not to worry too much on his friend, and the fact most of the others will be in the same state. He had to handle and be strong in this situation.

"Help me get the others out! I have no idea how long we have."

"Who said that? Bilbo?" The dwarf spun around, made himself dizzy and fell to the ground.

Bilbo realized he still had his ring on. "Yes! Don't worry about me! Just do it!" He shouted and started to get out of the tree. He stepped behind the trunk and slipped the ring off. When he stepped out he attempted to offer a smile. "See? I'm right here." Without another word, he headed toward the next bundle.

It was slow work freeing everybody. The majority were too disoriented to help and simply leaned against the nearest tree. The few that were awake enough- Dwalin, Gloin, Bofur and Fili currently- helped Bilbo with the remaining bundles.

Too soon, Bilbo heard the spiders coming back. There multiple legs made a quick pitter-patter sound, ever closer to the clearing. The groans and angry mutterings of the dwarves signaled that their captives were escaping.

Bilbo did not think. He hardly did any in the last few minutes. No time, it was all a rush. "Don't be shocked," he told the dwarves. Then he slipped on the ring and moved toward the spiders. Shocked gasps and voices rose up, but the invisible hobbit ignored them.

He ran at the spiders and sliced down one's side. He then attacked another at the eyes, hoping to blind it.

"What's that? It stings." The spiders complained to each other as Bilbo stopped them from approaching the clearing.

"_Lazy Lob and crazy Cob are weaving webs to wind me. I am far more sweet than other meat, but still they cannot find me!"_ Bilbo said in a high sing song voice. The high pitched tone probably made him sound mad, at least will to some of the hobbits back home. He, Bilbo Baggins, somehow smiled at the thought. This was no time to be a respectable hobbit. Besides, singing and dancing was respectable.

He did dance around the spiders, and swung his blade around to intersect with the cumbersome bodies. He weaved in and out of spindly trunks and battered undergrowth, swiping away at the spiders, out of sight, of the opponents. As long as he thought this as a messed up dance and not attacking spiders larger than him, he would be fine.

"Ow! That stings!" Bilbo smirked when the blade sunk deep into the back of another spider. He actually did not know how many there were now. He guessed it was three or four, but it was best not to think about that. He will just feel overwhelmed.

That was the second time the spiders said his blade stung. Feeling enlightened, Bilbo brandished the sword in the air. 'That's it! You are Sting.' Worn out, he moved with the newly named Sting up a tree. The hobbit made it half way up when he looked down. There was a spider directly below him; this will work nicely.

Bilbo held his breath and jumped down from the tree. He pointed the sword down and thrust it into the spider's back. Blood welled up from the wound and the creature was soon dead after Bilbo silently climbed off its back.

At the sight of their companion killed right in front of them with no apparent cause, the remaining spiders fear etched in their voices and scurried away. When they were out of sight, Bilbo sighed and took out the ring, leaning heavily against the trunk. He stood their silently for a second. He felt liberated and strangely calm now that the spiders were gone. Moments passed in silence, and he soon headed back toward his friends.

All the dwarves were free now, a handful was conscious. The rest of the Company was asleep or unconscious at the other end of camp, bundled and placed on their bedrolls by the remaining dwarves. They had found their supplies and the awake dwarves stared at Bilbo in awe and shock.

"What?" The hobbit spoke heatedly.

"I do not doubt what you did to those spiders, Master Baggins, but how did you turn invisible?" Gloin asked. The look on the other dwarves' faces showed equal curiosity.

'Oh, right.' Bilbo thought wearily. 'I should tell them about the ring.' He held the small object up; it glistened eerily in the light, at the center of his palm. "Well this is it." The words were simple and he shifted uncomfortably. It was _his_ ring, damn it! He put it possessively back in his pocket. Bilbo then spoke on how he came across the ring while they were up against goblins. And if he did not tell the complete truth? Well, he was sure they will understand.

After the story was told, the Company moved over to the rest of dwarves. Bilbo had no doubt they would all know of his little ring once the others woke up. Thorin looked at him with an unreadable expression in his face before he walked over to Fili and Kili. Fili had his arms wrapped around his little brother, apparently already asleep.

Everyone decided who would be on watch when in silent tones. A heavy weariness, and hunger, cloaked the makeshift camp. No one bothered with food as the members were lost one by one by a fatigued sleep. Bilbo brought his knees up and quickly dozed off, head nodding on his knees. He felt someone wrap a blanket around his shoulders. No noise was made by the hobbit as the dwarf patted him on the head and walked away. It was a long day and Bilbo soon was fast asleep.

* * *

**A/N:** I first planned to include elves in this chapter but it turned out long enough with saving them for the next chapter. Plus, I did not want to leave anyone waiting any longer.

Some notes… I knocked Nori out from the water as well as Bombur simply to be more dramatic and to show Dori is also an overprotective mother hen around him as much as Ori. I originally did not have the butterfly scene in the chapter but after watching the trailer I had to put it in. I am ecstatic Sting is finally named. I do not know how many times I typed it out before going back and replacing it with another noun.

So yeah, elves are up next. For those who want some dwarf vs. elf drama and were not satisfied with what was included in Rivendell, well, what's coming should saturate your needs. The trouble with elves should be at least two chapters before we move on to the next little arc.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N:** Thank you all for keeping with this story after a long wait for the last chapter. It means a lot, and I am incredibly grateful for it.

**Chapter Sixteen**

or _"Trapped Bearings"_

Bilbo was the first one to get up the next morning. It surprised him. Usually, he was the one who tried to continue sleeping while everyone bustled around to pack up camp. The whole thing threw him off. His first thought when he noticed this was to go back to sleep, but he did not. The hobbit knew they were no longer on the safe forest path. They were in the middle of who knew where in this forsaken forest, and a follow up attack could happen at any time. He also noticed no one was put on watch, or the last dwarf had not been able to hold of sleep.

A hefty exhale escaped him and he pulled himself up. Bilbo stretched his stiff limbs and checked his belongings. Sting was fastened to his belt, the ring was in his pocket and his bag sat at his feet. After that was done, he looked around at his sleeping companions once more. Most of them were sleeping on top of each other, in one fashion or another. The dwarves had fallen asleep leaning against each other and then let gravity do the rest.

He waited several minutes for someone else to get up with no avail. A feeling of dread overcame him after another minute of waiting. Were they all right? Was the spider venom killing them? Bilbo jumped up and rapidly started to check to see if his friends were alive. To his relief, they were all still breathing. It was simply a heavy sleep. He calmed his breathing, and the subtle shakes of fear left his body.

"Oh! Will you all just wake up already! I cannot wait here forever!" He shouted. A few shifts and grumbles showed some wakefulness come to the dwarves. Before long, everyone was eventually awake- awake, but not happy. Grumpiness, snappiness or grogginess stayed with the Company. That was without the hunger that had been haunting them for the last few days. With it included on everything else, it was not a pleasant atmosphere.

Bilbo sighed when he heard bickering pick back up. Maybe it was better if everyone else had remained asleep, not that he could blame them for being uptight.

"We need to get going." Thorin ordered from one side of camp. The dwarf was tense but seemed relatively calm, at least on the exterior. No one brought up protest, yet it was slow work to get moving. Bilbo already had all his stuff gathered, and he walked away to get away from the ongoing arguments.

"I would not wander off if I were you, Master Baggins." Thorin spoke behind him.

Bilbo spun around and glared at the regal prince. "I do not need that! I just saved you and everyone else here. And I was completely fine wandering around here before I found you." He pointed and waved angrily. Thorin did not look amused but stayed silent.

When they moved Bilbo did notice how the Company (and probably included him too) were worn out and moving more gingerly, either by stumbling or twitching. What he kept on thinking about though was how all their clothes were covered by remnants of spider webs. The sticky substance quickly picked up plant substance from the forest and made for a dirty picture all around. Bilbo felt downtrodden. All his hard laundry work and having to deal with nude crazy dwarves, all for naught! It was only a trifle, but it was more pleasant to think of compared to the fact they will probably be dead by starvation in a few days.

The rations they had left were passed around later in the afternoon. Bilbo looked sadly down at the stale bread he had. He could possibly get three bites out of it. The mute complaints of the Company registered to none of their ears. They just had to push on a few little longer and trust where their feet led did not backtrack the progress already made.

A few hours passed and the complaints to stop and rest became the prominent thought that led to rest. Bilbo leaned against a tree and rubbed his read. He saw the majority of the dwarves do the same, some even drifted back off to sleep. He could also see a couple, mainly Thorin, appeared annoyed at this. The one thing they could do to regain energy was rest, so rest they did.

Bilbo did not want the stubborn dwarf's glare on him for just wanting to rest his feet. Instead of trying to find a comfortable sitting position on the ground, he offered to scout ahead. Met with a couple rounds of thanks, the hobbit slipped on his ring and walked away. He did not end up finding the looming confrontation but, in the end, it was probably a good thing he was away.

* * *

Thorin was restless. Something was bound to go very wrong, he knew it. They could not find the trail and would end up stuck in this forest far longer than necessary by the time they will get out, if they got out at all. All the attempts to try and ration out the food to survive the whole trek were in vain. Plus, there was hardly any food to hunt for in this end of the forest. The spiders must have gotten to everything.

He felt a couple weights on his sides and looked down. Two young dwarves were using him as a resting prop, as though nothing had changed in the last few decades. Kili had one arm around his legs, and Fili leaned up against him on the other side. He nudged the two gently and stopped the urge to roll his eyes or snap at them.

"Get up." His voice was gruff but not threatening. He knew almost immediately it would not work.

"No," Kili mumbled tiredly. Fili did not say anything but also made no move to leave.

A sigh escaped the older dwarf's lips and he proceeded to focus his glare instead on anybody who dared look at him funny because of his current situation. The two dwarves soon dozed off to a light sleep, and Thorin felt a little guilty. He knew they both tried hard to stay alert, though they both started to drift off an hour ago. It was one of the reasons he decided to make a stop, as everyone was in a similar state.

Thorin wanted the hobbit to get back soon. It was easy to get lost in this place and they had to get moving again so they could finally leave.

Leaving the forest, it was apparently not in their agenda today.

The whole company started to rise to their feet after five minutes. While they waited for Bilbo to get back idle chatter drifted through the air. There was strong on edge feeling in the air, but the energy levels did not match it. So, the first sign that somebody else was close by was only met with a slight start and not running, which would be a normal reaction in this situation.

The first obvious sign came by an arrow landing a few feet away from their rest spot. Kili went to pick it up curiously. "It looks like an elvish arrow." He spoke up and checked the last remaining elvish arrow in his quiver to compare.

Thorin let out a stream of curses and tensed up. "MOVE!" he shouted, "Now!"

"We have to wait for Bilbo." Bofur glanced around for the hobbit.

"He has a better chance of finding us than we him with his ring on. Now, move!" There was no room for argument. The tautness showed in his voice; something he would normally try to hide. This was enough for the rest of the dwarves. They grabbed their bags and started in the direction they agreed to go before they stopped to rest.

The short hesitation was enough to be caught by their pursuers, especially when said pursuers had longer legs.

When the elves reached them, most cut them off at the front. A few then fanned out to surround them. Thorin looked like he was going to attack- he would like nothing better, really. Before he could make the move for his sword, the blond elf at the head of the patrol had his bow and arrow out.

"Do not think I won't kill a dwarf."

The regal dwarf sought to cause some serious damage. There was not much any could do, however, while you had an arrow an inch from your face.

* * *

Bilbo had safely made it back to where his companions were. At least, he was almost positive it was the same spot. It was hard to tell because no one was there. The hobbit freaked out, his hands shaking, from losing the Company again. He had heard a disturbance back this way and came to check it out.

'Well, there goes the whole point of scouting ahead if I cannot warn them of anything!' he thought angrily at himself. Well, there was no sign of a struggle, at least not here. Without a second more thought, Bilbo rushed ahead to where he heard the nearby commotion.

He quickly found the Company surrounded by a group of elves. There was nothing he could do, and for a minute he did not feel like any predominant danger was at hand. Then he remembered what Bofur told him about the particular animosity of these elves and the dwarves from the mountain shared. Yet, there was little he could do. The best thing he could do, while it pained him, was to follow and wait.

No elf or dwarf noticed the lone hobbit that followed closely behind. Bilbo had light feet, a ring to turn him invisible, and no dominant light to cast his shadow. He was safe. What the next plan of action was, well, he had no absolute clue.

* * *

There were times like this where you had to pick which poison. For Legolas, it was either spend time with his father or a bunch of infuriating dwarves. No mistake, he loved Thranduil and the elf king was a great father, except the times when he was a sourpuss. Those times, like now, were when Thranduil was unpleasant to be around and the elf prince distanced himself from his father. Soon the… pleasantries… of handing their new 'guests' would be gone and the attitudes around here will go back to normal.

Then, the second choice was to spend the time around said disagreeable guests. It was pretty self-explanatory why the company of dwarves will be unpleasant. The good news was that was one place he was sure Thranduil won't go unless it was completely necessary. The choice was pretty simple. There was a lifetime to spend with his father, and an undetermined short amount of times to spend with dwarves. Hence, Legolas decided to spend it with the dwarves. Who knew the next time when he would get the chance.

He walked to the cells most of the Company was being kept. The elf on guard bowed his head in respect but seemed surprised on how he was spending his free time. Legolas was still questioning that himself.

The area the dwarves were kept was actually one of the nicer places for prisoners, despite what they would say. Each individual cell had a cot, and was open enough to walk around. At least, open enough for a dwarf's height. The cells were not completely closed off either, the doors all had barred openings to look out of and to let in light. The air flow was also decent; it could be no worse than their caverns and mountains. It was certainly better for the near starved group they came across.

As soon as he walked into the small chamber that led to the rest of the cells, a round of insults were thrown his way. Legolas caught a few variations of tree-shagger, though the rest he did not understand, nor did he want to. A sigh escaped his lips. Why did he not go spider hunting instead?

"Did they eat the food we gave them yet?" He asked.

"After twenty minutes of contemplating if it was poison, yes." The guard replied.

"Very well, I will relieve you here so you can get something to eat." No, he should really leave himself before he got a headache.

After he was alone with the dwarves, Legolas felt the glares intensify on him. He leaned against the door and counted to ten. One, two, three…

"Aren't you Thranduil's son?"

He ignored the question; it was none of their business. The true answer will just cause the animosity toward him to rise anyway. Continue to count to ten. Four, five, six, seven…

"Where's Thorin?"

Ah, yes. The dwarf leader had different arrangements here. Legolas could be honest and say down the hall to make them shut up, but he was still in ire on those insults, so he continued to stay silent. Eight, nine…

"-"

"I have a question for you." Legolas spoke up before the next insult, or question, could be thrown at him. "There are thirteen of you, but we retrieved fourteen bags. Do you care to explain?" No reply came, but he thought he heard an audible squeak in the corner.

More insults stung the air, but the blond elf tuned them out. This was going to be a long afternoon.

* * *

Bilbo had snuck into the elvish palace easily enough. He kept the ring on and followed behind silently. The hardest part was to get beyond the gates before they closed on his face. The hobbit almost ran into an elf because he had followed so closely.

The next hour the dwarves were led into what he guessed was the main hall for the palace. He would usually take the time to admire the beauty in the craftsmanship, different from Rivendell, but still captivating. As it was right now, he was too worried about his friends.

Bilbo tried to form a plan, a nearly impossible task, as the icily cool elf king berated the dwarves. He was caught up in his thoughts that he missed his friends being taken away. The next plan of action was to follow random elves when they mentioned dwarves in hopes he or she was heading toward his friends. Approximately five tries later, Bilbo followed a fair-haired elf, who resembled the elf king, and finally had success. He slipped in before the guard left and settled in the corner.

He was impressed how the elf did not snap back, but the look on his face said he was not impressed by the barrage of insults. The swearing he caught made the respectable hobbit blush.

When he found out that his sack was found with the others, alerting the elves of him, Bilbo failed to cover his mouth in time to stop him from keeping quiet. The elf's eyes flashed in his direction before turning back to the dwarves. His body relaxed.

The volume in the chamber went down when elf and dwarves started to ignore each other once more. All the dwarves started to question and probe each other to gauge each other's conditions. Bilbo shifted and tried to look into the opening of the cells so he could get a better answer. All the stubborn dwarves said they were 'fine' and Bilbo did not trust their definition of fine. Color returned to most of their faces, from what Bilbo could tell. The meal the elves offered had to equate for something; it was food.

As a reminder that he had not eaten properly, his stomach made a potent growl. He glanced at the elf wearily, but he appeared not to notice. The next step beyond the molasses slow planning process of escape was to find some food. His friends may no longer be starving, but he was.

"Ori! Are you all right?" Dori shouted from the other end of the room. There was no answer, and Bilbo realized he had not heard the young dwarf in the commotion before. The back of his neck became sweaty. He hoped the scribe was all right.

"He's not answering! Oin, you need to look at him. Let him look at him!" The overprotective dwarf shouted at the elf.

The blond elf look blinked and glanced over to the fuming dwarf. Bilbo's previously flushed face turned into a tomato with Dori going on his own tangent of abuses. He always took the older dwarf to be more well-mannered. The elf looked annoyed, but there was a contemplative look in his eyes. "If there is a healer among them I see no reason to deny them to heal each other." The elf spoke mostly to himself, but Bilbo was able to pick up the words. It was hard to tell if he imagined it though because the elf did not act on the words right away.

"Kili?" Fili had about a fifty percent better job of hiding is obvious concern over Dori.

"I'm fine." The dwarf spoke from the door to Bilbo's right. He could not see the dark-haired dwarf, but from what he heard he guessed the dark-haired dwarf was leaning against the door. He could also tell Kili was probably half asleep.

When the guard came back the blond elf requested that the dwarves' belongings be checked for any medical kits so any ailments could be addressed. Comfortable that his friends will be fine for now, Bilbo slipped out to try to see if he could find food.

* * *

Bilbo found a dining area relatively easily, as in, it took about two hours. By the time he smelled the sweet, tantalizing scent, his stomach was growling so loud he was surprised the elves did not hear him. He made no attempt to stop the moan once he found the mound of food. There was nobody there so he grabbed a few large pieces of fruit and several greens. Feeling bold in his hunger, Bilbo grabbed a plate and started to pile everything on in a salad like fashion. Then he disappeared into a corner and had the first full meal in over a week.

In his search of food, he had gotten some general bearings on where things were in the palace. He would have to learn the fuller extent to plan a proper escape plan. There was time to concentrate on that later. Currently, Bilbo had his focus on trying to find Thorin. Whether it was luck or not, he came across the blond elf again and decided to follow him. If he was Thranduil's son then there was chances he could get some information from trailing him.

Apparently, he made this decision too late. The trail was lost once the elf went to another group of elves, too many for Bilbo to follow with high chances to run into someone. He cursed under his breath. 'Think Bilbo, what to do now before you get lost again?' The answer was plain. He would go to his friends to let them know he was there and give some hope. He, mostly, recalled how to get there. No one could blame him if it took a little longer.

The two places he had to remember were where to get to his friends, and where to get food. Bilbo could start there and slowly learn more of the layout.

A simple push of a small table was plenty to distract the guard long enough so he could slip into the chamber where his friends were in. The door was not locked, but he would have to wait until the door opened again so not to draw suspicion on self-opening doors. That gave time to plan.

Angry mutterings came up once he closed the door. The dwarves suspected another elf to come in to harass them. Who they got instead was an irked hobbit that slipped off his ring in annoyance.

"All of you that pessimistic already? It's me, Bilbo!"

Several gleeful cries came out and calls of his name, which made the hobbit flinch. He gave a brief glimpse to the door, but no elf came in to check the sudden commotion. Every one of his friends called out different questions with no apparent care of this concern. The most prominent of the questions was how he got in, how he found them, where was Thorin, and did he have any extra food for them?

"Hold on, hold on." Bilbo chuckled. He was worried they would get caught, yes, but he felt light. When he snuck in before, everyone seemed half dead. The energy and life now lifted his spirits. He waited a few minutes for them to calm down before he answered.

"I used the ring to slip in when the gates were still open. I followed a few elves before I found you; and I have no idea where Thorin is. No, I do not have any food, but I found some for me. I assume they feed you well enough, but I could bring some more next time." These answers partly soothed the nerves of the Company. The main voice that came out was they obviously needed more food. Anxiety was high on what happened to Thorin, but there was nothing to be done at present.

It was several minutes later when the dwarves calmed down enough. Luckily, they got the message to quiet down within one minute; therefore, Bilbo did not have to run to a corner and put the ring on with fear of being caught.

"Now, I need to find a place to sleep. Another reason why I came in here was to tell you bunch to start planning some sort of escape. I cannot do all that on my own. I will come again soon and after I find Thorin. Did I forget anything?"

"Food!" the reply was simultaneous. Bilbo sighed.

"Yes, I will get you more food. And I cannot get anything different from what the elves give you, so no meat, before you ask." A mix of groans and chuckles met that proclamation. "Good," Bilbo smiled. It was a little forced because this still was not the best situation to be in. At the very least though, they did all have a food supply until they escaped.

Bilbo stayed until an elf came to check on them. The door was left open and Bilbo started for it. The ring was snugly on and he faded immediately to the shadows. Prior to making the door, he heard one of his trapped companions whisper his name. He took a few steps back with his eyes wearily on the door. The elf guard was on the other side of the room, and he allowed himself to relax.

"Take this," Nori dropped a few metal objects on the ground. His hand went back into the small opening of his cell. "I always keep them hidden in my pocket."

"What is it?" Bilbo asked, confused.

"You call yourself a burglar? They're picks. That way you could get out of a few locks, you know?" The thief's voice was not condescending. Still, Bilbo refrained from explaining he never picked a lock before.

"Thank you," he said instead, and slipped them in his pocket. He then sprinted out of the room before the door closed again.

Bilbo soon found a quiet place, absent of elves for the time being, so he could rest. There was little cushioning with the floor, but it was smoother and slightly softer than the gritty forest floor outside. He briefly thought of finding their stuff, which he had to do eventually, and claiming his bedroll. That elf did say his bag was grabbed with everybody else's. The thought soon left him. That was too conspicuous; he would get caught.

He curled up in a ball and tried to drift off to sleep. Maybe he could swipe a cushion or an item around those lines later. Maybe, maybe, maybe- everything was maybe at his point. Instead of the worry of starvation, there were other doubts. Maybe they could not escape quickly enough; maybe he will get caught; maybe, maybe, maybe. He pressed his palms firmly to his temples. This was more complicated than escaping trolls. It would probably take a while. Maybe it will take too long. Bilbo could not think of that. All he could do was push ahead and hope for the best.

* * *

**A/N:** I was not sure where to cut these chapters. I decided to do it here before I get to the big bulk of elf and dwarf (plus hobbit) tensions. That will show more in the next chapter with a couple dwarf POVs (including Thorin) and more of Legolas' POV. Thorin vs. Thranduil will show up too ^^. I had some of the two in this chapter but I decided to edit it out and put it in the next chapter for better flow. Hopefully it all works out.

On Legolas, I thought hard on how his view of dwarves will be pre-Gimli friendship. I decided he will still have strong prejudice toward them but not as strong as his father's. I am mostly confident how this chapter turned out, and the next should be out in another week. Two, if something takes over my schedule.


End file.
